Just A Summer Romance
by LynnLayne18
Summary: The girls are done with high school. After all they've been through, their parents allow them to take a one-month trip to Jamaica to relax and get their mind off of things before heading off to college. Spencer manages to find a summer romance. But is it really just a summer romance? Or something more? What happens when she really ends up falling for him? Spoby fanfic
1. Chapter 1

"This is going to be exactly what we need. One entire blissful month away from Rosewood." Hanna said, zipping up the last luggage case she had-which would now make six.

"You said it," Aria said, plopping down on Spencer's bed. She had packed her suitcases and helped Emily. They had a hard time fitting everything in because they wanted to limit the number of suitcases they brought because Hanna was taking so many.

Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily were in Spencer's room. They were leaving for Jamaica tomorrow. They had just graduated high school only a week before, after suffering from "A", their stalker.

Spencer's parents were paying for the entire thing. They would take a whole month of relaxation over there. Spencer couldn't wait-there was so much time in a month.

"I'm going to miss Caleb so much though," Hanna sighed.

Spencer picked at her nail polish, bracing herself for another Caleb rant. Hanna, Aria, and even Emily-for a short time-had all managed to fall in love in high school. Hanna, who was still with him, was with Caleb. Aria, strangely enough, had fallen for her English teacher, Ezra. They were still together too. Emily, bless her heart, had fallen in love with Maya but she had been murdered. She then found love again with Paige, but they had to break up because Paige was going to California over the summer.

And as for Spencer…nothing. No boyfriend. She didn't mind much usually-it kept her focused on her work. She still hated to hear about the romantic things they did. It's not like Spencer didn't want someone-she had looked her whole high school years.

"Hey," Aria said, rubbing Hanna's arm. "We'll get through this together."

Spencer met Emily's gaze and she rolled her eyes.

Hanna, clearly seeing them, stepped in. "Spencer, come on. Who knows, maybe you'll find someone in college."

Spencer ignored her. "Are we all ready? We have to get up early tomorrow." She looked at Hanna. "_Very_ early."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. But we'll have time to sleep on the plane."

For the rest of the night, they did each other's nails and gossiped. They laughed until their sides hurt and talked about what they were going to do over there. Spencer felt giddy just thinking about it. They fell asleep fast, none of them on Spencer's king sized bed.

* * *

"Han-na. Get. Up!" Spencer rolled her friend over but she still wouldn't wake up. Aria came back into Spencer's room, a toothbrush in her mouth, and foam around the edges. Spencer spotted Aria and Aria shrugged her shoulders.

"Help me! I need to change!" Spencer exclaimed. Not caring who was in here, she pulled off her shirt and shorts and slipped on a sundress. After slipping on sandals and doing as much makeup as she had time for. She would do the rest on the plane. Emily came out, completely ready.

Spencer stepped out of her room for a second to run out to get a banana but heard a crash in her room followed by Hanna's voice saying "what the hell?!"

Spencer raced upstairs. Aria had thrown a boot at Hanna's head but half the things on Spencer's desk had fallen over. "Sorry, Spence," Aria said.

Hanna rubbed her head. Pouting, she grabbed her bag of toiletries and went into the bathroom.

After Hanna closed the door, the three of them erupted into giggles. They were still laughing when Hanna came out only five minutes later-fully clothed, teeth brushed, hair perfected, and makeup looking flawless and professionally done. Spencer raised her eyebrows, impressed.

"What?" Hanna snapped.

Spencer smirked and rolled her eyes. She looked at the clock. "We have to go. Everyone ready?"

They nodded. They grabbed their luggage and piled it into Spencer's minivan, Excitement buzzed in the car the way there. Hanna was obviously over what happened in the morning because she and Aria were in the back trying to make their music louder than the other's. It got on Emily and Spencer's nerves but didn't say anything.

After going through security, they waited at their gate. The plane wasn't scheduled to land for thirty minutes. Aria asked if Spencer would come to the bathroom with her. On their way there they stopped in the gift shop buying every magazine that talked about some celebrity cheating on their boyfriend or about yet _another_ celeb pregnancy in the situation where nobody knew who the father was. Spencer rarely read that stuff but Aria insisted. They also bought some more snacks.

After getting back, they saw that Emily and Hanna left but showed up right when Aria and Spencer noticed.

"Where were you?" Spencer asked them.

"Uh, coffee?" Hanna held out her hand where four cups of coffee were sitting in a holder. Spencer wondered how she didn't notice that. She grabbed hers and eagerly washed it down. The other girls finished about the same time that Spencer had.

After it was time to board the plane, they got on and took their seats. Their parents bought them first class tickets. Aria and Emily were sitting beside each other and Hanna and Spencer were facing them, directly across from the other two.

They had all managed to get some sleep at one point. Sometimes they would sit and read magazines and sometimes they would just talk. They stood up often for a few seconds to stretch their legs and were all antsy by the time they got there.

It was almost six in the evening when they landed. After getting their luggage, they called for a taxi to take them to their beach house that their parents rented for them for the month.

"No. Freaking. Way!" Hanna exclaimed, bringing the luggage into the house after the taxi left.

Aria squealed, Spencer dropped her bags and stared with an open-mouthed smile.

"Oh my God," Emily said. They all looked at each other and grinned.

Spencer didn't know what she was expecting-maybe a small beach house that would be comfortable for a month at the islands they were on. Spencer should've known her parents would've gone all out. The entire house was spotless. When you first walk in, you see the kitchen. It was huge. But the living room was a whole different story. It was about the size of a ballroom. There was a huge "L" shaped leather couch facing a flat screen on the wall. There was a hallway there. There were only three rooms down the hallway. One was a bathroom, one was a small closet, and the other looked just like a bedroom but without furniture. The stairs were spiraled and the girls walked up, eager to explore more. This time, there were six rooms. Four huge bedrooms and two more bathrooms. Spencer raced to the closest bedroom to the bathroom.

"This one is mine," she called. The other girls explored and found their own. Aria was going to be right across from Spencer, Hanna was going to be next door to Spencer, with them sharing walls, and Emily was across from Hanna, Emily and Aria sharing walls.

Spencer turned around. There was a huge queen sized bed and a giant window. She loved the view-she and Hanna were facing the ocean. She looked in the closet-Spencer guessed they could fit an elephant in it. Rails lined all four walls for hangers and below it was shelved slanting out to place shoes. In the very center of the room was a table-Spencer guessed it was a place to put her jewelry.

They all came out of their rooms at the same time. They went downstairs, grabbed their bags, and went back up to put it in their room. Aria helped Hanna carry the rest of her bags up-Hanna needed to take two trips with help from someone. Spencer rolled her eyes.

Once they were done, they gathered in Emily's room and sat on the bed.

"Spencer, this place is beautiful. Please tell your parents I say thanks," Aria said.

"Definitely. I told them I would call as soon as I landed…" Spencer shrugged. She would call them later.

Hanna sighed after a minute. "I wish Caleb were here."

Even Aria looked appalled by that-this was supposed to be a trip for the four girls only. They were the only ones that really understood how rough their high school experience was. Spencer flinched slightly, wondering how thin the walls were connecting Hanna and her rooms.

Spencer shook her head, distinguishing that thought from her mind. "Okay, what are we doing here? We should go out, do something. This is our first of many nights being free. We have a whole month; let's just start enjoying it now."

"Spencer, I'm exhausted. We've been on a plane all day. Can't we just do it tomorrow? It's already late."

Spencer stared at Emily. "You're kidding right? It's not even seven yet. We have the whole night. You can sleep later." She looked at Hanna. "You in?"

"Uh, _yeah_. Do you even know me? What about you Aria?"

Aria chewed on her lip, deciding. She grinned. "Why not?"

The three of them looked at Emily. She sighed. "Fine."

Hanna, and Aria whooped and they all raced back into their room, trying to find something to wear. It occurred to them that they had no idea what they should wear. They walked into the hallway.

"So are we going to a club, the beach, downtown to shop…?" Hanna asked them.

"Let's just go to the beach," Aria said.

After agreeing, Spencer threw on her swimsuit and a small but loose dress over it. After slipping on her flip-flops, she met the other girls downstairs.

Hanna was holding a beach bag. There were enough things in there for them all to use. Spencer grabbed the keys and locked the door after they stepped outside. She handed Hanna they keys and she slipped them in the bag.

Basically you were on the beach right when you stepped outside. There wasn't a driveway and if there was, it was covered in sand at least five feet deep.

"Han!" Aria said suddenly. "You got the camera right?"

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You've talked about nothing but taking millions of pictures ever since this trip was planned. I got the camera."

By then, they were near the water. Spencer took off her dress and the others looked at her. "What? You don't want to get in the water?"

Aria shrugged and took off her top-she wasn't wearing shorts. Aria took Spencer's hand and they grinned. The water was crystal clear-it was so beautiful. They ran into the water and shrieked. It wasn't cold-they were mainly shrieking because of the fun they were having. They splashed each other with water and soon, Emily and Hanna joined them.

Aria swam out pretty far and got lost in the waves. Her tiny body got lost multiple times and the other girls burst into laughs. Emily followed Aria out there. Spencer and Hanna saw Emily ducked Aria under the water and she came back up struggling.

Before the girls showed up, there were just a few people on the beach. They were being pretty quiet and Spencer knew the people swimming thirty yards away could still hear the girls. They didn't care though. Spencer heard Aria scream and Emily laugh.

Thinking of Aria, Spencer got out and grabbed the waterproof camera that was in Hanna's bag. She took it into the water and swam to join Aria and Emily. Hanna came a few seconds after.

Aria climbed on Emily's shoulders. Snap! Spencer took a picture. Emily went under water and Aria fell forward. Snap! Spencer was able to take a picture right when Aria was going down.

One swallowed gallon of water and two hundred pictures later, it was getting pretty dark and they were the only ones still in the water. They decided to call it a night. They walked back to the house. Aria and Hanna had called the two showers first to get the salt out of their hair. When they were done, it was Spencer and Emily's turn.

They were exhausted by the time they were all done showering so they went to sleep. Spencer fell asleep grinning, knowing this trip wouldn't be one to forget. She was with the people she loved most for a month of relaxation. Everything was perfect.

* * *

A/N I really really hope you loved this. More to come. Also, sorry there wasn't Toby. He may or may not be in the next chapter ;) Also, I know some things may be confusing (like Spencer never fell in love in high school). In summary, "A", Alison, Ezra, Caleb, Maya's murder, etc. that all happened. What didn't happen was Toby. So he obviously wasn't on the A-Team so Spencer never had a mental breakdown and nothing to that domino effect happened. I think you got that though. But (not to give too much away) some of the things in Toby's life really did happen. You probably won't know about that stuff for a while though. Also, please continue to read because this idea just really hit me all of a sudden. I was trying to think of a new storyline for a new story and this idea is perfect because A). It's original. I haven't seen a story like this before on this website. B). I was going over a really summary in my head of the story and literally almost cried. I think you'll like it. Okay, I bet you just skimmed over this lol. Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed :) and please review! Xo


	2. Chapter 2

"Han-na. Get. Up!" Spencer said yet again.

Today was better than the day before in Spencer's bedroom. Hanna moaned and rolled over. At least she was awake, or, half awake. "Okay, Aria brought her boots."

"It's true," Aria said, popping her head in Hanna's bedroom.

"This is supped to be a vacation. Now get out of my room," Hanna muttered into her pillow.

"Right. To have fun. Out! It's already past two. We're all ready. _To have fun_."

Spencer was done trying to talk her into getting up. She walked to the window and opened the curtain. The sun even blinded Spencer. Hanna shot up out of bed.

"Good," Spencer said. "You have thirty minutes. Then we're leaving."

Hanna left to the bathroom without another word. It was their first full day here and they hadn't done much yet. Spencer sighed and went down into the kitchen where Aria and Emily were. They all ate breakfast around eleven so they decided on skipping lunch.

"So," Spencer sighed, plopping down on a bar stool by the bar. "What's on the agenda for today?"

Aria's phone lit up. Spencer slammed her hand on the counter when she read 'EZRA'. She grabbed the phone from Aria and answered. "Goodbye," she said sweetly and hung up.

"Hey!" she stopped talking when Spencer narrowed her eyes at her.

"Well," said Emily. "Before you got up I searched things to do around here. There's this lush area we could hike on all day. It's, like, covered with trees with a trail people walk on every day."

Spencer was completely up to the idea. Aria's nod confirmed that she was too. "But what about Han-" Spencer started.

Aria cut her off. "We'll make her go."

After Hanna was finally ready, they told her the plan. After some arguing, Hanna agreed to go if they could go to a party later. The other three girls agreed to a party without a second thought. They needed to drive to the area they were hiking at so they just called a cab.

The weather was perfect. There was a slight breeze and the temperature was in the mid-seventies. There weren't any bugs flying around either. Even Hanna stretched her arms out; wanting to soak up the Vitamin D. Spencer noticed that Hanna had worn wedges. She sighed, deciding to ignore her choice of shoes.

They grabbed a map and headed out onto the trail. It was steep at first and they struggled to push themselves up with each step but when they reached the very top it was pretty flat. They stopped at look at the view. The ocean stretched out in front of them, coral reefs scattered around the water.

Hanna fished around in her bag, probably trying to find the camera. As her hand grabbed it, she lost her balance-because of her shoes, no doubt-and started falling toward Spencer. Spencer caught Hanna but Spencer twisted her ankle and started falling backward, away from the ocean.

Two strong arms caught her from behind. After stepping back on the ground and gaining her balance, she turned around. A guy that looked about her age had a grin on his face. He was the one that had caught her. He had a friend right beside him.

"S-sorry," Spencer stuttered. "You can blame her if you like," she jabbed a thumb at Hanna, who was the only one that knew what exactly what happened. Aria and Emily were watching now though.

He laughed. "You're fine." They both walked off after that.

Spencer bent down to retrieve Hanna's camera. She came back up and stretched her arm out for Hanna to take it. Hanna didn't take it. Spencer raised her eyebrows and exaggerated her movement to stretch her arm out.

Hanna lowered Spencer's hand, a grin on her face. "I think he's into you."

Spencer stared at her with shock. "Seriously? What the hell would make you think that? All he did was catch me or else I would've fallen on him."

"But he laughed at what you said! That means something!"

Spencer scoffed. "I'm thirsty. Aria, will you hand me a water bottle?"

Aria grinned and Spencer knew what was coming. "Spencer he gave you the look," Aria whispered the last two words.

"What _look_?!" Spencer exclaimed.

"You should go ask for his number," Hanna said.

Spencer shook her head, not believing what they were getting at. "I-I'm not going to _do_ that!" Spencer looked at Emily, waiting to see who she was teaming up with. Emily realized they were all waiting for her opinion.

"I mean, he _was_ cute."

Spencer was done with them. She kept walking. She stopped when she realized it looked she was going to chase after that guy. She exhaled heavily and turned back toward her friends.

"Did you lose the nerve?" Aria asked her. The worst part was, it didn't even look like Aria was joking-she was being serious. They really thought she was going to make a move on him.

She wasn't sure if this hike was going to be as fun as she thought it would be if they teased her the whole way. They kept walking and Spencer thought of ways to get them back.

Aria was easy. She thought of it immediately. They next guy that walked by about their age gave her the idea. Before it was too late and casually, she tapped the toe of her shoe to Aria's shoe with enough force to make her lose her balance. This guy though, wasn't as nice as whoever Spencer knocked into. Aria ended up falling right into him but he basically shoved her away and walked off. Spencer grinned.

Spencer smiled slyly at Hanna. "You're next."

To be truthful, Spencer hadn't thought of what to do and wasn't even sure she was up to think of something to Hanna. She may just let Hanna get by with it. She was definitely leaving Emily out of this.

The hike became pretty normal for them again. They snapped tons of pictures and enjoyed the view or anything that was on their path. They made jokes and laughed. Spencer counted-but lost track after seven-the number of times Hanna tripped in her shoes. By the time they were ready to leave-the sun was setting-Hanna was covered in dirt.

They went back home and got ready for a party later. Aria had searched and found there was a bar that was in walking distance from their house.

Spencer, Aria, and Emily just changed into something more appropriate for a bar and not the outdoors. Hanna had to take a shower. She was the last one ready. The other three waited in the kitchen. Emily made popcorn for them to snack on as they waited for their blonde friend. They were smart enough to remember packing their fake IDs so they wouldn't have a problem getting in.

Hanna, being Hanna, made a grand entrance down the spiral staircase. "I'm here!" she called.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Let's just go."

They all walked over to the bar only four blocks away. The heels they were wearing made the trip there a lot longer. Had there not been a sidewalk, they would've had to walk in sand which would make it even longer.

Once they got there, they showed the bouncer their fake ID and he let them in. The music was so loud they had to yell to talk to each other and it was packed with drunken college-age looking people.

Hanna, who was in front of them, turned around at them and grinned, "I'm _so _ready to have fun!" She made a straight beeline for the bar and ordered her a Bloody Mary.

"Han! Are you serious?" Spencer snapped at her.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Spence, we just graduated high school, we're thousands of miles away from home, and we won't have any parental supervision for a month. I think you need to loosen up."

Aria shrugged and ordered the same as Hanna. Emily ordered a shot of tequila. After Emily, Spencer decided she really did need to loosen up.

As she was about to, the bartender handed her a drink. With a sly smile, he pointed to someone at the other end of the bar. Spencer followed his finger and was immediately aware her friends were watching.

It was the guy from the hike. Spencer couldn't control the grin that flashed across her face. He waved at her, smiling.

"Spencer Hastings," Aria taunted. "Go talk to him," she urged.

Spencer sipped her drink. She was going to talk to him before Aria suggested it. She was going to try to forget who she was tonight. She turned back toward them and winked at her friends. She heard them giggle once she made her way over to him.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, much less buy me a drink," Spencer said once they were in hearing range of each other.

He shrugged. "It was the cheapest thing they had. No big deal," he smiled.

She laughed. "So are you from here?"

He shook his head. "Nah. I came from the US. What about you?"

"Pennsylvania," she answered.

"My roommate and I decided we need a break. We came from Ohio."

She took another drink. "I'm Spencer," she said.

"Toby."

Spencer's heart skipped a beat when he smiled. She noted him empty hands. "No drink?" she asked him.

He looked sheepish. "I don't really drink. My roommate, Jake, does though. He made me come." He scanned the room behind her and sighed. "Yeah, I think I lost him. Again."

Spencer laughed. "How long have you been here?"

"A week. We're not going back until the end of summer. I'm doing my best to escape my life as long as possible. What about you?"

"My friends and I flew in yesterday, actually. We're staying for a month." She took a seat right beside him, forgetting for a moment that she had stood. "And, you have no idea what a messed up life is before I tell you what I've had to deal with."

He raised his eyebrows. "_Are you_ going to tell me?"

She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Nope."

"Would you tell me this weekend? If we were to go out and do something?"

It took her a minute to remember what day it was today-Wednesday. That would give her and the girls the whole day together tomorrow and probably all of Friday. If she agreed, her friends wouldn't be mad. "I probably _won't_ tell you this weekend. Maybe by the fourth date. _Maybe,_" she smirked at him.

He raised his eyebrows. "Whoa. You're getting a little ahead of yourself."

Spencer chest hammered. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. She didn't have much experience with boys in high school. His grin that spread across his face after he said it made her relax. Besides, hadn't she already decided she was going to drop the Spencer Hastings?

"So it's a date?" he asked her.

She smiled. "It's a date."

* * *

A/N okay so I guess this could've been more exciting (like the last one wasn't) but I will start to pick up the pace. Also, some of you might've thought this already and if you haven't then maybe I'm over thinking but I know Toby (and kind of Spencer too) were a little out of character. That shall be fixed for the future I just wasn't sure how I should play with Toby being in a bar (seeing as he's never drank before and doesn't strike me as someone who would) and I needed some Spoby flirting to work with to get the date set. So, in the future, like I said, they will be more in character. Thanks for reading! Xo


	3. Chapter 3

"Aria you've been in the bathroom long enough," Hanna complained Saturday morning.

Spencer had enough of Hanna banging on the door-she was starting to get a headache. Spencer opened the door, almost positive Aria wasn't doing anything too personal. The door opened at Aria applying mascara to her top lashes. She looked at Hanna. Hanna had already taken a shower so all she needed to do was her hair and makeup. Hanna sighed and walked in. They got ready side by side in the mirror.

"Thank God," Emily said, coming up from behind Spencer.

Spencer went in her bedroom to sit in her bed, thinking about the night at the bar. After setting the date, his roommate starting acting up so Toby had to take him home. She gave him her number but they hadn't said much since. Every time she went somewhere with the girls she looked for him but he wasn't there. The two times they ran into each other-literally-were only a coincidence.

Her friends had waited for her to return that night, wanting to know what they said. After Spencer told them, they all squealed-except Emily, who Spencer thought was just drunk. He texted her asking if Saturday was good and she agreed. She told him which house she was staying at and he seemed to know where it was. He was going to pick her up later.

Spencer couldn't be more excited but first, she had to get through the day. The girls made plans to just shop around at some stores. Hanna had even gotten out of bed early for this.

Spencer heard the bathroom door opened and both Aria and Hanna emerged, ready for the day. Spencer got up, grabbed her sunglasses, phone, and the keys and met them all downstairs. She briefly noted the TV in the back of her mind. It hadn't been turned on at all since they arrived and as far as Spencer knew, they hadn't even sat on the couch. The living room area was more as just a passing room, connecting the two places they stayed in most.

"Lunch or shopping first?" Hanna asked them.

Spencer was pretty hungry. "Lunch," Aria said.

They all agreed and headed downtown. There were boutiques and little coffee shops there. There was also a mall-it wasn't very big though.

They walked into a deli restaurant. After deciding to stay and sit and the waiter took their orders, they were finally able to cool off-it had been hot outside.

"I say we…hit the mall. And then we just stay there," Hanna said.

"Why?" Aria asked. "There are really cool shops on this block."

"Because it's hot," Hanna said like it was obvious.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Hanna, its summer. And besides, it's much hotter in Rosewood right now."

"Fine. What if we shop in the mall now and then later this afternoon once it's cooled down we go to the shops."

"You are unbelievable! It's barely eighty degrees out here." Spencer grinned slightly. "Besides, I need to get ready later this afternoon."

The other girls smiled with her. "Do you know what you're going to wear?" Aria asked her.

Spencer shook her head. "I don't even know where he's taking me."

"Have you talked to him today?" Emily asked.

Again, Spencer shook her head. The other girls looked at each other. "I mean, do you think he should've by now?" Spencer remembered they obviously had more experience. She vaguely remembered dating someone-Alex-in her junior year but it didn't last long and Spencer never felt much of a connection between them.

"Spencer, he barely knows you. It's too early in your relationship to want to avoid you. I'm sure it's fine," Aria told her.

"Wait, what 'relationship'?"

"Spencer, chill," Hanna told her. "And you and Em are lucky you can even look for people here. I saw so many cute guys this week. And what am I supposed to do when they buy me a drink or hit on me? I mean, I miss Caleb but…"

"Han, you are not seriously thinking about that are you?"

"What? No, Aria! I was just saying _when_ it happens-"

"Wow," Spencer teased. "You sound pretty confident. How do you even know they will?"

Hanna opened her mouth but then the food came. She smiled at Spencer, who just rolled her eyes. After the waiter left and they had their food, they didn't talk anymore about their previous conversation. It was silent at their table for a moment.

Aria picked up her sandwich and froze when it touched her lips, looking behind Spencer and Emily. Aria grinned and Hanna looked to see what was getting Aria's attention. She grinned too and Spencer and Emily turned around. Spencer's stomach did flips.

It was Toby. He was waiting in line to order with his roommate, Jake, by his side. As far as the four of them knew, he hadn't seen her at the table yet. She didn't know if she should turn back around and pretend like she never saw him or keep staring until he saw her, which didn't sound like something Spencer wanted to do. She slowly turned back around when Hanna kicked her under the table. Toby and Jake walked right by them not only two seconds later.

He didn't seem to see her. He walked to a table directly across from them. He was facing the same way Aria and Hanna were and Spencer could easily spot him. She glanced at him as he sat, waiting for him to notice her. Spencer didn't want to make it seem like she was staring so she ate her food, not really tasting it.

"Spencer," Hanna whispered. "You're blushing."

Spencer felt her cheeks grow even warmer. "Are you finished?" she snapped.

"No," Hanna said. "You're hands are shaking," she nodded to the potato chip in her hand. It was shaking. Spencer shoved the chip in her mouth and took a sip of water. It did little to help the dryness in her throat. She hated this feeling. She didn't even know Toby and yet her palms wouldn't stop sweating.

She looked back at him. They were still waiting for their food so it looked like they were just talking. He met her eyes right when she was about to look away. He looked surprised to see her at first. _So he never saw me before_, she thought. He smiled at her and waved. She smiled back casually but it broke into a wide grin. Aria and Hanna saw what was going on with her but Aria didn't call attention to herself. Hanna was another story.

Hanna turned around and waved at him. Aria tugged at Hanna's shirt, telling her to turn around but Hanna ignored her. Spencer-without realizing it-slouched in her seat a little. Spencer shifted her eyes down to her food. She snapped them back up when Hanna moved her hands again from the corner of her eye. Hanna had waved him over.

She was _so _getting Hanna back for this.

After a moment, he finally got up and walked toward them. Jake turned to see where was heading. His eyes widened when he saw that it was to four girls.

"Are you stalking me?" Toby asked when he made his way over to them.

Spencer froze a little at the word "stalking" but then grinned. "We were here first," she pointed out.

"Toby. Sit," Hanna instructed.

After seeing Aria's stunned face after she said that, Spencer decided she would ask for her help with getting Hanna back. She already knew Emily would be on board with it.

Toby shoved a thumb over toward Jake. "I should actually get back."

He didn't move though and Spencer wondered if he was trying to stall to stay as long as he could.

He looked at Spencer. "Seven?" he asked her.

She looked at her friends and they nodded. "Perfect."

A women walked by with food in her hand as Toby watched her. Just as he thought, she was heading to his table. He turned back to the girls, but more so to Spencer.

"I should get back."

Spencer, realizing that was the second time he said that, smiled and nodded. "That's fine. See you tonight."

He smiled at Spencer and his eyes shifted to Emily for a brief moment. Before Spencer could see Emily respond, he walked away. When he was out of earshot Spencer leaned toward Hanna. "Are you _crazy_?"

Hanna threw the pickle that she was about to eat back on her plate. "What?"

"Inviting him over? And then inviting him to _sit?_ There was no room for him."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Spence, take it down a notch. I'm experienced," she fanned her hand over her body. "So is Aria, and Emily," she added the last part after a short pause. "You aren't."

That snapped Spencer from annoyed for furious. "Well who helped you? Nobody. That's exactly who's going to help me."

"Okay, fine. I'll stop. But, just to remind you, if it weren't for my shoes, your date tonight wouldn't even be happening." She paused, thinking for a minute before continuing. "If it doesn't go well, you can always blame your parents for sending us here."

"So…if anything goes wrong with any of us, just blame Spencer's parents?" Aria asked.

Spencer laughed, trying to get her mind off of him. "If you want."

Spencer reached for another chip but they were gone-she didn't realize she had eaten so many. She also saw that there was very little left of her sandwich. She looked at Emily's plate-it looked like she was done. "Are you guys finished?" she asked them.

Aria took one last bite of her sandwich before nodding. Hanna mumbled a "yeah" in response. Without verbally acknowledging it, they decided they were done and were ready to shop.

Emily, Aria, and Hanna stood up while Spencer stayed down as she fished for some money in her purse to tip their waiter. After doing that, she rose and caught Toby's eye. He smiled at her and she waved. After turning back toward her friends she saw Hanna grinning. She rolled her eyes and they left.

* * *

"So do you think if I bought, like, a whole new wardrobe for a new week that I would be able to take seven bags of luggage on the plane when we go back?" Hanna asked, fingering with the tassels on a blouse she was trying to decide to buy.

The three girls gave her crazy looks. "I think taking six in the first place is insane," Aria told her. "If you really want some of these clothes so badly then throw out some of the things you brought."

"Aria's right," Emily told her. "The stuff here is amazing but you have too much as is. Last night, when I went in your closet to get some of your shoes, it's completely full of clothes. Like someone lives there instead of just visiting."

"Okay, first of all, we're staying here for a month-that's hardly visiting. Visiting would be like, a week. Second of all, I layer. So five hangers gets me through one day. Simple as that." She looked from them back to the light blue blouse. "I'm getting it," she muttered before slipping into the dressing room.

"Biggest fear? That she maxes us out and we won't be able to pay for food by the end of this trip." Spencer was mainly talking to herself but Aria and Emily laughed and agreed to that.

Hanna came out wearing the blouse just then. Her eyes went right past the girls, in search of something else. She walked to a table in the store that had jean jackets. She rifled through some with different colors until she found a white one with light brown studs on the sleeve and shoulder. She slipped it on and smiled at her reflection. Something behind her in the mirror caught her eye. She turned to another table with belts. She picked up a skinny darker brown belt and looped it around her waist.

The girls stared in awe-it was an expensive store and she would probably only be wearing those once.

"Should I get a job?" Emily whispered to the two of them as Hanna was still admiring her outfit in the mirror.

Truth was, Spencer didn't even know, at the rate Hanna was going, if she was carrying around enough cash with her. She was linked to her bank account so it wouldn't be too much of a problem but her parents could look and see she was spending so much on clothes.

"Aren't you guys going to get anything?" Hanna asked them after walking back to where they were standing. Oh my God!" she suddenly said when they were about to answer. "Spencer, you need something to wear for tonight."

Spencer shook her head. "I already have something."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Like what? A _sundress_?"

Spencer made a face at Hanna. "_No._ I only own one." She honestly had no idea why Hanna even suggested that.

Hanna didn't listen to Spencer. She looked around the store and walked over to a rack, her friends following. She picked a white, loose, and off the shoulder top. Then, she picked a coral colored swimsuit and held the bikini top inside the shirt. She walked to the jewelry and picked a long-chained necklace. The detailing at the end was just a turquoise stone. She quickly grabbed a pair of high-waisted shorts. Form what it looked like to Spencer, her shirt was going to cover up her shorts because of its length. Spencer had to admit it looked good together.

Hanna thrust the clothing in Spencer's arms. "Try it on."

Spencer chewed on her lip. "I'm sure it looks fine."

Hanna smiled, looking pleased. "So you'll wear it?"

Spencer thought about it for a second. "What if we go to a dinner? A fancy dinner?"

Hanna took the shorts from her and switched them with dark denim skinny jeans. "It won't be too hot for these," Hanna promised.

Spencer still looked skeptical. The jeans made it look a little better but she still wasn't sure.

"If you were then I think he would tell you. Besides, its summer and we're on a vacationing hot spot. I'm sure you won't be the only one," Hanna said, answering Spencer's old question.

Spencer sighed. "Fine…but can I have the shorts instead?"

Hanna grinned and switched the bottoms out again. "See? This is perfect. He may want you to go swimming. And if not, it still says 'casual'."

"Well thank you," Spencer said softly. She hadn't even remembered her other two friends. They stayed out of it. They knew to do that when Hanna goes shopping. If Aria or Emily had suggested anything else, Hanna would've bitten their finger off.

The four girls paid for the two outfits and they spent the rest of the afternoon shopping at more affordable places. The clothes were still cute no matter where they went so not even Hanna complained. By the time they got home they were carrying so many bags it was the longest walk back they had ever experienced. They also spent a little more than Spencer meant to but she didn't worry too much-it was a vacation.

Spencer took a shower right when they got home while the other girls gathered in Hanna's room separating the clothes and made a pile for each girl.

When Spencer got out, she saw on the counter were the clothes for her date. She hadn't heard anyone come in, though. After the fog in the mirror went away she changed.

The top was thin enough so you could obviously see the bikini. It wasn't in a too-revealing way either. It was perfect. You could see the strings on her shoulder. And, surprising her, the shorts weren't covered too much by her shirt. It really was perfect.

She looked down, adjusting the hem of her shirt and she realized she didn't have any shoes. She walked out of the bathroom and saw they were still sorting through clothes in Hanna's room.

She immediately saw a pile with clothes that she had picked out. She walked to the bed. There were three more bags they had to go through so she pulled out a top that she remembered Aria picking out and threw it in her pile.

"I _told_ you! I told you it would be perfect!" Hanna said once her presence was acknowledged.

Spencer folded a pair of capris. "Thanks, Han. How could I deny you?"

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Aria asked.

Spencer pulled out her phone and shrugged. "I've still got an hour."

Hanna's eyes widened. "Spencer you need to get ready!"

"Chill, Hanna. I just took a shower. Also, I need shoes."

Hanna's eyes widened again. "How could I forget _shoes_? What the hell is wrong with me? Hang on." She looked through her (huge) pile of things she bought. Hanna did get a pretty good number of shoes-mostly heels and wedges. Spencer wasn't sure how often those would be used on the island but didn't question it. Hanna groaned in frustration and stormed off to her closet. A few minutes later she emerged holding a pair of bright yellow sandals.

"These will do, right?" she asked, setting the shoes down by her feet to see how it looked with the rest of the outfit.

"Yeah, they look ama-" Spencer started when Hanna cut her off, Aria and Emily looking in amusement.

"That was rhetorical. I decide what you wear."

Spencer couldn't stand her friend sometimes. This was one of those times. "They're _my_ feet."

"Well they're _my_ shoes."

Spencer knew that was fair but also knew that Hanna wasn't arguing because Hanna didn't want Spencer wearing her shoes-it was because she wanted to be in control with what Spencer wore. She didn't want to fight though-they looked good with her outfit and Spencer wasn't going to deny that.

Spencer slipped into the bathroom and got ready in almost no time. She didn't want to make it obvious that she was really excited and get done up too much so her hair and makeup was what she usually did. She played with her hair, her outfit, her earrings, really, anything until she heard the doorbell ring. She still had no idea how he knew where they were staying at but didn't care.

She didn't want to leave him waiting too long but she went into Hanna's. "I'm leaving," she announced.

"Wait! Spencer," Hanna called.

Spencer turned back toward them and raised her eyebrows at Hanna.

"Just…have fun. Don't be shy. You'll have fun."

The four of them grinned and waved. Spencer went down and threw the door open.

* * *

A/N so sorry for the lack of Toby but next chapter won't have anyone but Spoby. 100% Spoby


	4. Chapter 4

A/N so somebody told me that the fact that Toby knew where Spencer was staying at was creepy. LOL I am so sorry. It wasn't supposed to be. You'll find out how he knew in this one.

* * *

There was Toby. She was glad to see his outfit was pretty casual too.

"Hey," she greeted him, grinning.

Spencer walked out and closed the door behind her. The sun was setting and Spencer caught a glimpse for a second of the sun setting on the horizon, the ocean water reflecting off of it. It was beautiful.

"So," Spencer said, turning back to Toby. "What are we doing today?"

He gestured to the beach. "We walk to dinner. On the beach." He shrugged as they started walking along the sand, about three yards from the water. "I've only been here a week and I'm not really sure what you like to do. I mean, is this okay with you?"

"No, that's perfect. I haven't eaten since lunch…" she trailed off remembering they had run into each other at the restaurant.

A comfortable silence fell upon them. The ripples of water nearing them every few seconds made it peaceful.

"How's your vacation been going so far?"

Spencer was about to reply with a 'good' but then remembered what Hanna told her; "Just…have fun. Don't be shy. You'll have fun." Spencer decided to turn up the chatter within herself.

"Uh, it's been really nice. I mean, a nice break from our lives. And with my friends, it doesn't matter where we are-I love them and they've made it ten times better this past few years," afraid she said too much and didn't want him to ask questions she said, "but as far as the trip-it's the best one I've ever had. What about you? How are you liking this?" _Wow_, she told herself. _That was a lot more than 'good'._

"Same as you, pretty much. I," he exhaled deeply. "I really needed a distance from…life."

"You have no idea how much I get that."

Sensing they probably needed something lighter to talk about he asked, "so you're…what? Two…three years in college?"

She let out a short laugh. "No. I just graduated high school…two weeks ago?" She couldn't remember exactly when they graduated but knew it was pretty recent. "What about you?"

"Nineteen. I'm not going to college. I've already got a job."

Spencer was pleased by his age. He was no more than a year older. "No college?" Being around her parent so long had its effect. She didn't know anyone that hadn't or isn't going. In her family it was unheard of.

"There's so much more to not going, Spencer. Besides, I've got a job."

Her heart sped up when he said her name but she just tried to focus on what else he said. "I get that. With everything going on I couldn't focus on school as much. I was rejected by the school everyone in my family went to. They aren't very happy with me-at _all_. I'm actually surprised they took us on this trip. But, I was expecting them to give me a break. Me and my friends. They know what I went through." She snapped herself out of what had weighed on her mind for weeks. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to pile this on you."

He laughed. "I don't mind. And you notice how we cryptically talk about our life. Like it's a secret."

Spencer stopped walking and looked at him. He stopped too and they faced each other. Spencer forgot about what they were just saying when she looked at him crystal blue eyes. They were stunning. She never really noticed before. He wore sunglasses on the hike and the bar had awful lighting.

He looked at her curiously. "It's not a _secret_. It's just…I can't talk about it."

He shook his head. "I'm not trying to pry," he spoke softly. Spencer almost had to strain to hear over the water. There was nobody else around.

"I know," Spencer whispered. They never moved to keep walking. Spencer was again lost in his eyes. It was such a calm setting around them but Spencer's heart was going a mile a minute.

It seemed suddenly he blinked out of what was going on and smiled at her. Reaching for her hand, he turned and they both started walking again. Nothing else was said as they continued to walk.

With his free hand, he suddenly pointed out right in front of them. There were Christmas lights strung around and tables on the grass. Spencer suddenly realized it looked exactly like the place in _A Walk to Remember_ when they went out to eat. It was also on a cliff so the view would be the ocean.

"Where did you find this place?" Spencer asked him.

"I was walking by it a few nights ago."

The two of them let a woman guide them to a table. There was a candle in the middle. Spencer wondered if it was too much for a first date. She pushed the thought from her mind, trying to just enjoy the night.

After they took their food and drink orders, Spencer cleared her throat. "What do you? For your job?"

"I'm a carpenter." He shrugged. "It's not too exciting. Jake is my partner. The difference is, he's still going to school. Do you know where you're going?"

Spencer nodded. "It's kinda small. My parents definitely don't approve but since I couldn't go to UPenn and I knew I wanted to stay closer…It's called Hollis. Two of my other friends are going there too. It won't be so bad." They had all made plans to go to Hollis after Spencer got rejected but Danby gave Emily an opportunity that neither her friends nor her parents could tell her to pass it up. Spencer would miss her but knew that Emily would visit frequently.

She was going to be sharing rooms with Aria and Hanna which would make it all that much better. The three of them couldn't wait.

"So," Toby said. "Do you have any siblings?"

Spencer's smile froze for a minute when he asked. The waiter came so she waited for her to drop off their drink before answering.

"Two. Melissa, my older sister. She's just as bad as my parents. And then Jason. He's my half-brother. He's the same age as Melissa. Do you have any?"

Spencer wasn't sure but it looked like he had the same reaction she had. "Uh, a step-sister but we don't talk…much."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not."

Spencer tried and put the pieces together. "Was she a part of the reason you're not going to college?"

"Yeah, you can blame her."

He was holding something back but she didn't push it. Again, they were saved by the waiter bringing their food.

"What are your friends' names?"

"Emily-she was sitting right by me earlier today. Aria was the other brunette. And Hanna was the blonde. I apologize about her, by the way." Spencer shrugged. "She really does liven us up when we're bored."

He laughed. "Jake's like that too."

After a beat of silence Toby shifted his eyes away from her. "Are you with someone?"

"Um, no." She laughed. "I was single all senior year."

"Seriously? Why?"

Spencer shrugged. "It really wasn't the first concern on my mind at the time. I was drowning in school and tried to get back up but obviously that didn't go so well."

"But why do I get the idea that school work wasn't the only 'concern' on your mind? There was something else."

He didn't say it like a question. He didn't need to. "Wow," she breathed. "You're really good at reading people."

"Well I'm not known to. Maybe you're just too clear."

Spencer felt like he was looking deeper than her eyes. She didn't look away. But then she thought about what he just said. _Was_ she just being too transparent? She had let her guard down a lot tonight without realizing it. A thought crossed her mind: what if she wanted to tell him everything? Her struggles, her history, her traumatizing experience. She forced the thought back; she barely even knew him. Why would she tell him something so personal?

His eyes. That was all she thought about. Spencer may just want to believe this but something about his eyes made her want to spill everything. He looked at her with caring, understanding, warmth. A tingle shot through her spine. She knew it wasn't possible to those blue eyes to ever be harsh.

_First date_, she reminded herself. She took a deep breath from her nose. They had really only know each other for a little less than an hour. She couldn't get sucked in now. With a painful heart she remembered she couldn't get sucked in _at all_. This couldn't turn into anything. She was leaving in a few weeks. Anything that happened needed to stay more friendly and less cozy. If things were to get too serious…she pushed the thought away. It was better not to think of the ifs.

"Are you done?" their waiter asked them. Spencer was so deep in thought she finally took note that it was getting pretty dark outside. Spencer couldn't see it but she could hear the waves crashing against the small cliff they were on.

Spencer looked down at her plate. She had eaten most of it. She wasn't going to have any more. She nodded and the woman took both of their plates. She dropped the check by and he paid her, laid a tip on the table, and they both stood up.

After exiting the property, he took her hand again as they walked the same way they came from. She was more tense about her hand than she was last time. She wasn't sure if this was okay to do, since she needed to keep things more casual between them. In the end, she decided to leave it. His grip was perfectly firm around her smaller one and tingles would shoot up her arm when they would swing their arms. Spencer didn't remember feeling so comfortable.

"Do you want to head back to your friends?" he asked her after a few minutes.

She switched her phone on for a second to see the time-it was a little after nine. She had a missed call from her mom but if it was that important, she would call one of the girls. She definitely didn't want to go back yet. "Was there anything else you had in mind?"

He shrugged. "No but there's always options."

She stopped walking, pulling his arm to a halt. After she had his attention she sat down on the sand, dragging him with her. She didn't care that she was going to get sand all over her. "We don't have to _go_ somewhere." She pulled her legs up, being as careful as she could be not to let the ocean get her wet. Their hands were still connected but resting on the sand.

"Tonight was fun," she told him, breaking the silence.

He grinned. "Enough for a second one?"

She nodded. "Definitely."

He looked uncertain at her. "But…?"

Now she was certain he was just good at reading her. She put all of her energy into making that sound as content as she could. She looked up into his blue eyes and gave in; telling him what was on her mind.

"But…" she shrugged. "What's the point? I'm leaving, you're leaving. We'll go our separate ways soon. Why get wrapped up in something you know won't last?"

Toby was quiet for a minute. Spencer turned back to the ocean and Toby just looked down at their hands.

"You can't just…enjoy right now?" he asked her softly.

Those words confirmed what Spencer was afraid and desperate to hear. He really did like her. He didn't want to end it like Spencer had almost suggested. Spencer didn't only feel one but multiple lumps forming in her throat. It was going to be impossible to talk.

Spencer barely shook her head-she wasn't even sure if he saw. "I've never been able to. I haven't been able to breathe since the sixth grade because my parents pushed me so I could get into college. And then, with everything that happened," her voice was cutting off. She took a deep breath. "I hoped every day that I could just skip the next few years of my life. I just can't enjoy right now. All I think about is the future. That's all I ever can think about."

Before she knew what was going on, she felt a pair of lips crash into hers. There wasn't a fraction of a second where she fought him. As soon as they connected, she completely melted into him. He cupped his hands around her face. She leaned into him and he lowered his hands around her waist. Spencer felt electricity pulse through her every single vein in her body. She never wanted to let him go.

But that was the problem.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't give in. Their kiss confirmed what little doubt that was in her head. This was serious. He was serious to her. She had heard of "love at first sight". She knew that's not what happened with her but her feelings for him were changing so fast. He's not just someone Spencer decided to hang out with for a night.

Spencer told herself over and over to pull away. Forget it never happened and enjoy the next three and a half weeks with her friends. That was only half of her mind. The other half told her to stay because she wanted to. Almost _needed_ to. She wondered if anyone else had felt this way about someone so suddenly. Every cell, every bone, every vein agreed with the half of her brain that wanted to stay.

So she did.

Toby pulled away slightly. Enough so their lips disconnected but he was still only inches from her. He bumped their foreheads together as they both breathed heavily, his breath mixing with hers, gazing into each other's eyes.

"I was…not expecting that," she told him.

He grinned. "Me neither."

Everything was silent. Even the waves of the ocean seemed to have stopped. The only thing Spencer heard was her heart and his breath against her face. Nobody was around and there weren't many buildings around. Spencer let herself enjoy this moment. Their hands found each other on the sand and he rested his on top of hers. Spencer closed her eyes, wanting to stay there forever. It didn't seem so crazy anymore that they had only had one date. Everything was moving so fast between them.

Suddenly, time escaped them. She had no idea how long they stayed like that. She looked up at the sky for a split second and saw that the moon was directly overhead. It had to be at least almost eleven. Which would mean they stayed there for almost an hour. Strangely enough, Spencer believed that.

"It's…getting late. I have to get back soon."

She hoped he saw that she didn't really want to in her eyes. He nodded and pulled her up. After brushing off the sand he took her hand again. She walked closer to him this time. Their sides were bumping into each other.

"It's still a fifteen minute walk," he told her.

She guessed that would be about right. "How did you know where I was staying?" She remembered after she told him he said he knew exactly where that was.

He smirked. "Because I'm staying right next door."

She recalled a house next door to her but never paid much attention to it. It wasn't as big as hers, which made sense because only two people are there. She never saw anyone come in or out of the house.

"Wait…you…I've never seen you in it."

He shrugged. "We're not in it much. Really, only for sleeping. Jake is really outdoorsy so we've at this point seen most of the close things around here. I'm not even sure he's home now."

"Do you ever see us? Or hear us?" Spencer wondered if he would be able to hear them if they ever got too loud.

Toby shook his head. "No. _Should_ I hear you?" he teased.

She laughed. "Probably not."

Spencer saw the red street lamp ahead. It was right across from the house. The other lamps were fluorescent. She had no idea why that one was red but it helped to see it at night. She was sad that the night was coming to an end. She was looking forward to the next time they spend together.

"Next time you're free…"

"I'll call you," she finished.

He smiled at her. The house was getting closer and closer with every step. She didn't like that. Even knowing they could get together soon again. She saw a light was on in Hanna's room. Spencer hoped she wasn't watching. She wondered who was awake. Probably everybody.

Stepping onto the porch, Toby turned to face her. He pulled her into a slow kiss. She made sure it lasted as long as it could. The same bolt of energy pulsed through her body until that was all she felt, besides his lips.

He pulled back sooner than she would've wanted. "Goodnight," he told her before slowly releasing her hand as he turned away. Spencer had to go in but she needed some time to herself for a minute. Apparently, her friends wouldn't have that.

The front door opening made Spencer jump in surprise. The three girls were by the door looking at her, grinning. Spencer blushed and walked inside.

* * *

A/N did I disappoint? Personally, I loved it. I stayed up for-ev-_er_ to finish writing because I just couldn't stop. More Spoby action on the way. I'm going to try not and skip around because they do only get a month (or at this point, 3 weeks) but if I do, just know there's a plan behind it. Anyway, I apologize again that this is the 4th chapter and I JUST gave you Spoby but that will not happen again. Hope you like it :) Reviews always make my day. Xo


	5. Chapter 5

"What _happened_? Where did you go? Why were you gone _four _hours?" Hanna hurled questions at Spencer before she was even in the house.

"Four hours?" Spencer asked in shock. Hanna was right though-after glancing at the clock, it was after eleven.

"You lost track of time!" Aria was laughing.

"We just went out to dinner." After seeing her friends' doubtful faces she added, "It took a while to walk there."

"Are you going out again?" Emily asked.

Spencer walked into the living room and the four of them sat on the huge couch. "Yes…" Spencer drew the word out slowly, playing with the hem of the shirt.

"When?" Hanna asked.

Spencer shrugged. "Whenever we can. I don't know what he's got planned for this trip. It's not like we're home. It's a vacation. I came with you guys and he came with his friend."

Aria rolled her eyes. "I think we'll see you plenty. You should just go for it."

Spencer wished it were only that simple. The concern from her mind earlier was back now. But now, it was worse. Even though it wasn't a long time ago, she felt completely different about him than when they were sitting on the sand. On the sand, she told herself not to let it get too far. Now, she let it go too far. She also didn't want to go back. She didn't-and knew she couldn't-forget about him.

"Yeah," Spencer said after a moment. "Maybe you're right. I'm going to bed. Long day." She got up, walked up the stairs and after reaching her room, she shut it.

Spencer opened the closet door and walked in. After picking a pair of pajamas she brought with her and changing into them, she turned off the lights and pulled herself into bed and under the thick covers.

She was tired of trying to decide what she was going to do so she let her wandering mind be happy. Her feelings for him took her completely by surprise. Wasn't it too soon to feel this way? Maybe it would be if he were somebody from school. But he wasn't from school-he's been living hundreds of miles away from her all her life. She thought of fate. She was never completely sold on the idea of fate but tonight she considered everything. Was it fate that they were both on the same island at the same time? Was it fate Hanna had slipped, causing her to fall into his arms on the trail? Was it fate they met again in the bar?

She knew she wouldn't be able to answer these questions accurately. It could all be a coincidence. That didn't sound very likely though. It was too big. But maybe she was over thinking the coincidence thing. If it were _really_ a coincidence then shouldn't they have met for a reason? Maybe he was just a guy that she had deeper feelings for than the only one other boyfriend she had. Maybe they weren't supposed to be together.

Then she thought of luck. If they weren't meant to be together then it couldn't be fate. If there was another reason at them meeting that she wasn't aware of then it wasn't a coincidence. That left luck. Luck was something she never had. Her best friend was murdered and she had a stalker that could get her into so much trouble for years. She quit believing in luck-not that she ever believed much anyway.

She rolled over to one side and played with those three words. Fate. Coincidence. Luck. What did they all have in common? That was easy.

Her relationship with Toby.

She sighed and shut her eyes, finally trying to get some sleep. She was thinking way too much into this. He could've been anyone. She shouldn't question why they met.

****LINE****

_Buzz_

Spencer woke the next morning with her phone going off. It was only a text so she didn't need to answer right away. She let herself wake up a little. It was bright outside but her window faced the sunrise so the time wasn't obvious. She listened for any sign that one of the girls was awake. Nothing.

She rubbed her eyes to adjust her vision and then stretched her arms. The clock on the table by the bed read 8:37. Spencer reached for her phone.

_I'm free this afternoon. Want to hang out? -T_

Spencer grinned as she read it. She typed her message as fast as she could. _If everyone is awake. Either way, I'll be there._

The next one came seconds later. _12:30?_

_Perfect._

Spencer let her blissful mind take over, remembering everything yesterday. After going over every second again, she sighed and got out of bed. Quietly, she opened the door. Once she got in the hallway, the other girls' doors were closed so they were most likely all asleep.

Spencer stepped into the bathroom and took a hot shower.

After she finished and dressed for the day, she walked out. Just as she was doing that, Emily opened her door, fully clothed too.

Spencer smiled at her. "Wanna go downstairs and eat?" Spencer was starving.

Emily nodded and they walked down together.

***LINE***

By the time the toast popped up from the toaster and Spencer spread peanut butter on them, neither of them had said a word. Emily was frying eggs so they were both bustling around the kitchen.

"Spencer…you can talk to me. I'm not Aria and I'm certainly not Hanna. I won't pry," Emily told her after they were finally finished cooking and were seated by the counter, eating.

Spencer knew she was right. Talking to Emily about him would be better. Emily wasn't in a relationship.

"I really, _really_ like him." Spencer liked verbally admitting her feelings toward him.

Emily smiled slightly and nodded. "And…?" both of their smiles grew and they laughed.

"And I think I'm seeing him this afternoon. If that's okay with you guys."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? I don't even think Hanna would mind if you moved in together." After seeing Spencer stunned reaction she asked, "Too soon?" They both laughed again.

Spencer twirled her fork, not meeting Emily's gaze. She spoke the next words slowly. "What about you?"

She heard Emily sighed and Spencer finally looked up. "I'm not ready. And you know that." Spencer flinched at the pain behind Emily's words but Emily continued. "But you are ready."

"Well," Spencer said, crossing her legs under her. "Ready or not, here he came," a small smile formed on Spencer's lips. "I thought I wasn't ready. After…_everything_. I mean, high school _just_ ended. And high school was…"

"I know." Emily's words were quiet; remember everything that they had been through.

After thinking for a minute, Emily tried to break the tension. "So, what's he like?"

Spencer grinned. "He's…I don't know. We just…clicked. And his eyes…"

Emily smiled. "I know. They're definitely one of a kind."

Spencer had to agree with that. But then she thought of something. "How do you know? You've only seen him with sunglasses on and then far away in a bar."

Emily shoved a piece of toast down and Spencer waited for her to chew and swallow before she answered. "Uh, at the restaurant. Yesterday."

Spencer thought about that for a minute. Spencer didn't notice them until he picked her up last night. And he had only been talking to them in the restaurant for about five seconds.

"Um, so what are you guys doing this afternoon?" Emily asked.

Spencer shrugged. "I have no idea."

Emily hesitated before speaking. "Promise me you'll take it slow. You _have_ to get to know him before things get too serious."

"Are you suggestion that he's A?" Spencer teased.

"Spencer," Emily said forcefully. "Promise me."

Spencer nodded. "I promise," she vowed.

Aria bounced down the stairs. She was completely clothed and it didn't look like she just woke up.

"Morning," she chirped.

Spencer laughed and picked up her coffee mug. "You seem happy."

"I know," Aria trilled. "So, I was online and-thank you," she said after Emily handed her food. "And there was this place that we could go boating on for free. People do it all the time so it's not like a bad deal. Everyone comes back alive, so that's a plus. Anyway, I just thought it would be fun to do. We don't even need a license!" Aria's voice was full of energy on the last sentence.

Emily gawked at her. "Aria, I'm pretty sure none of us know how to run a boat. That's so dangerous. We could get lost or do something wrong-"

"Oh relax," Aria cut in. "If we get lost-which we won't-then we call someone. It's a luxury boat, too. It said the maximum occupancy was like 15 people so it's not like we'll go crazy being stuck with the four of us all day. Spencer…?"

"Wait," Emily said. "Don't you have your date with Toby today?"

_Damn_. Spencer forgot about that. And she was about to tell Aria she wanted to go.

"_Another_ date? Go! We can do it some other time."

Spencer chewed on her lip. She didn't want to let Aria down. They _could_ go another time but she wasn't sure if ditching them for a guy she only knew a day was such a good idea. Spencer's mind worked fast though-she was a Hastings by blood. "I could ask him to come with us?" It would be nice if he could meet her friends.

Emily dropped her fork, which held eggs on the teeth. "Come on the boat?"

Anyone with half a brain could hear Emily's doubt and worry in her voice. Spencer wondered if it wasn't a good idea after all. "You know what? I'll just cancel on him."

"No! Spencer, don't do that. He can come, it's not a problem," Aria said.

Spencer snuck a glance at Emily. Her face morphed from worry to happy in a split second. Emily smiled at Spencer. "It'd be fun to get to know him."

Spencer looked at Emily a little longer, trying to decide if she was telling the truth. She nodded and grabbed her phone. _Change of plans? I'm going boating with my friends. Want to come?_

_All of your friends? _he asked her.

Spencer tapped her phone on the counter before answering. Emily leaned in and read it. "Why would he ask that?"

Spencer shrugged. _Don't worry. Hanna won't bite ;)_

_Sounds great. What time?_

Spencer saw it was almost noon. Aria held up four fingers.

"Aria. He can't hear us. You could've just said four."

Aria grinned and Spencer typed in _Four._

_See you then._

Hanna came down the stairs then. She was in her robe, hair wet. She made a beeline to the coffee without acknowledging them. Aria told her the plan and Hanna agreed that it sounded fun.

"Wait," Hanna smirked. "He's coming too?"

Spencer rolled her eyes. "I need to get ready." She hopped off her seat and walked to her room.

***LINE***

They were all in the kitchen four hours later. Hanna and Aria were going through their bag, making sure they weren't forgetting anything. Emily was sitting at the kitchen, staring into space. Spencer was anxiously watching the front door and her phone.

They were all wearing their swimsuits on with a layer of clothes over them. Emily had said she wanted to swim, too and forced the rest of the girls to at least take their swimsuit.

"Spencer, you're turn," Aria called.

Spencer turned her head back. Aria was holding a can of spray-on sunscreen. She had been so lost in thought that she didn't even realize the other girls were wearing it. The room was suddenly filled with the familiar scent of it. Spencer padded over to Aria. Aria got her legs and Spencer raised her shirt, revealing a bare torso, and Aria sprayed that and her back. Spencer shivered at the cool spray as Aria got her neck. It helped calm her down. She wasn't worried-she was just excited of seeing him again.

The doorbell rang and Spencer almost slipped on the sunscreen that slid down to her feet when she raced over to get it. She caught herself before actually falling and heard snickers behind her. Ignoring them, she opened the door.

"Hey," she greeted him brightly.

He smiled at her and she slipped her hand into his. The other girls came to the door then.

"Okay," Aria said. "We can't walk there-it's too far and not all of us will fit in a cab so the two of you can go in one and the tree of us can go in another. Just in case you want some time to yourselves." Spencer knew Aria and Hanna had probably planned that line together. She grit her teeth.

"Well the car that I rented can fit us all," Toby told her. Spencer smirked at Aria.

"You drove here?" she asked.

Toby shook his head and Spencer cut in. "He's staying next door."

Hanna and Aria looked surprised but not as surprised as Emily. Her eyes were about to pop out of her socket. "Next _door_? Like, right there?" Emily jabbed a thumb toward the house next door. She was still inside so she was only pointing at a wall.

Spencer snuck a look at Toby. He looked uncomfortable. He gave Emily a short nod. "Ready?"

They walked outside and Spencer saw a car in his driveway. Toby and Spencer were in the front, the other girls right behind them. Emily was right behind Toby, Aria in the middle, and then Hanna. Spencer looked at Emily a few times on their way over and she just stared out the window. Aria and Hanna were on their phones the whole time. Spencer held Toby's hand as he drove and mainly just stared out the window.

"Okay," Toby said, pulling into a small parking lot. "We're here."

***LINE***

A/N I planned this chapter having lots of Spoby but before I knew it, this was becoming too long. Lots of Spoby in the next one and Toby will also have scenes with the other girls. But, I promise, I will make up to you the lack of Spoby in the next one. Also, there will be lots of Tomily in the future. Speaking of Tomily, did I leave you with some questions? If not then maybe I should more blunt. And a little reminder-they are only on day (not counting the day they arrived) 5 out of 28ish. And I've got some very eventful things happening so if it looks like I'm moving Spoby too fast, that's why. I've got huge things planned for the middle of the vacation. They're also moving too fast because they were meant to be together ;) Enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed.


	6. Chapter 6

They all piled out of the car. The electricity buzzing through Spencer while they were holding hands in the car instantly stopped once they got out. Spencer waited impatiently for him to cross to the other side of the car and grab her hand again.

The five of them walked to the tent by the shore. Spencer saw a group of teenagers on a boat sailing away. None of them were really watching where they were going.

"Hi," Aria said sweetly. "We'd like to rent out a boat for the day."

The man running the place nodded. "Do any of you know how to?"

"I do," Toby piped up.

He nodded again and rifled through some paper before pulling out what he was looking for. "Okay, I need just one of you-I don't care which one-to sign this."

Aria reached for the pen but Spencer reached for her arm. Being raised by lawyers wasn't going to shake Spencer of what she knew. Aria turned to look at her and the man sighed.

"It just says you can take care of any damages that happen and unless there's a faulty with the boat, any accidents aren't my fault."

Aria turned back to Spencer. She shrugged-it didn't sound too harmful, even if he could be holding something back-which he probably wasn't. Aria signed the papers and he gave her a set of keys.

"One-oh-three," he said, pointing to a boat with 103 painted on the side in red.

They walked away from him and Spencer wasn't sure about this anymore. That didn't seem too official. She trusted Aria though and apparently people came over here all the time before.

They all climbed into the boat. It was really nice. The front just had a steering wheel and only a few buttons. Spencer knew the four of them could've managed if Toby hadn't come. The very back was a cushy bench that wrapped all around the back. There was a chair that was attached to the deck in the center. The same kind of chair was in the front by the steering wheel. In the very center was a glass box. There was a door on the side. The box was pretty big. It had two different staircases. One led down, under the water and the other ran up.

Toby and Spencer walked to the front after Aria handed him the key. He jammed it into the slot and the engine started up. He did a few other things Spencer wasn't paying attention to and the boat took off, away from shore.

Spencer laughed as the wind blew her hair around and the overpowering smell of sea salt clogged her nose. Toby sat down on the chair and Spencer sat on the edge of the boat, which wasn't technically a place to sit. She could fall back into the water. She knew she was blocking his view but there wasn't anything but water in front of them as far as she could see so he wouldn't need to be stationed there all the time.

"I didn't know you knew about boats."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," he raised his eyebrows and grinned. "There was a lake back home. My dad took me almost every week in the summer."

"What was your dad like?"

He shrugged. "Like a dad. He took me to do stuff with him. He was pretty active. We had a lot of fun. We did a lot together." His eyes changed and he looked from her to the water. "And then my mom died. He wouldn't even look at me after that. It's better now but it never got back to what it used to be."

Spencer's heart broke for him. His words were so pained. Until he talked about his mother, she was envious. She never had a dad like that. He never took her anywhere just for fun.

"She was a great mom, too. More relaxed, though. On the very few occasions she came with us to the lake, she just read while my dad and I jumped off and swam. When she didn't come, she still read. She didn't have a job or many friends. Not many people she knew came to the funeral. It was mostly people my dad knew."

"Toby, you don't have to tell me this," Spencer spoke softly.

For a second she was surprised by how silent everything was with the girls on. But then she realized they were being pretty loud-she had just been tuning them out. Hanna was standing on the bench in the back of the boat with Emily taunting to throw her off. Spencer wondered why Hanna wouldn't just get down but realized Hanna probably wanted to see how long it would take for Emily to actually do it. Aria had a magazine open and she was lying down on the other side of the bench but she was watching Hanna. She was glad they were giving Spencer privacy.

Toby laughed. "Sorry, you probably don't want to listen to this. Today's supposed to be fun."

Spencer placed both of her hands on one of his. "You can tell me anything."

Toby slid her off the edge of the boat and into his lap. He placed his lips on hers, gently at first. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. She had been dying to connect them like this again ever since he left the night before. It felt exactly like their first-electricity pulsing through her in a way that made her crazy for more. She ran her hand through his hair and he rubbed her back. They weren't being too intense. It was just passionate. They were soft at first, mainly because they were still new to their relationship but both deepened the kiss at the same time, craving more.

_Splash!_

They broke apart, stunned at the loud noise they heard. They turned their head to look behind them. Aria was still lying down and Emily was standing, her back to Spencer and Toby, but Hanna was gone. Emily started laughing right when Spencer realized what had just happened and Aria sprang up, walking to the edge to see what happened.

Spencer looked back at Toby and they both started laughing at the same time. She unwrapped her arms from him and they made their way to the back.

Hanna had just surfaced when they got back there. She started laughing her head off but then she started complaining that it was cold.

She swam to the edge and Emily helped her up. Aria went to grab a towel and Hanna snuggled into it, sitting on the bench. Everyone else took a seat too. Spencer leaned into Toby as she sat and stretched her legs out. She didn't care what her friends thought. He wrapped his arms around her.

"You could've killed me!"

Aria rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Emily wouldn't hurt a fly."

Emily was grinning at Hanna's anger but it went away once Aria said that. Normally, she would've laughed with them at that but she suddenly became aware of the man sitting across from her. They locked eyes for only a split second before she nervously looked away. That exchange didn't happen without Spencer noticing.

"Well what if I hit my head on the side? Or I couldn't swim."

"Hanna, you can swim. Remember Lucas? We learned that the hard way." All the girls but Emily looked at Toby. "Um, are any of you hungry?" Aria was clearly trying to change the subject. Even Hanna wasn't in the mood for complaining anymore.

None of them were hungry. Aria, probably deciding they needed something to distract them, was the next to speak. "So, Toby. Where are you from?"

"Spencer didn't tell you?"

Aria and Hanna shook her head. Hanna was curled up in her blanket. She was pretty much in the shape of a ball. Since Aria was the closest one to her, if she wanted to, Aria could easily roll Hanna off to the ground-Spencer could see Aria doing that, too.

"Ohio. It's really not that exciting though."

"I've been to Ohio once," Aria said.

"You _have_? When?" Spencer asked.

Aria shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. I didn't even leave the airport. There was a storm the day we got back from Iceland in New York so we had to go around. Ohio was just an unexpected stop we took."

"You've been to Iceland?" Toby asked her, impressed.

She nodded. "Again, no big deal. My parents took me and my brother over there for a year. Sophomore year."

Spencer knew how to think ahead without even realizing she was doing it. She knew where this conversation could go. She just had to wish he wouldn't ask that question.

"Why did you go over there?"

There it was. Spencer held her breath. Aria looked at him stunned. Emily finally looked up-she had sat there, picking at her nail polish the whole time. Hanna unwrapped her feet from her, sitting up straight.

"W-why did I what?"

"Why did you go to Iceland? Was it just a cultural experience thing?"

Aria bit her lip. The reason-at the time-had been to get away from Alison. Toby didn't know about Alison, though. Spencer didn't want to tell him like this. The main reason that she went to Iceland now was because her dad had an affair with a student. Neither of those reasons were ones Spencer wanted to share with Toby.

"Her dad got a job there," Hanna cut in. It was true but it was the reason behind the job that she didn't mention.

"That's not true," Emily protested. Spencer sighed and closed her eyes, not caring anymore what Emily told him. Emily had been in a pissed off mood ever since Hanna was thrown in the water. Spencer had no idea why but it was clear she had a problem with Toby.

"Then what's the truth, Emily?" Spencer asked. She was tired of Emily right now. If she was going to tell him, Spencer would take care of it. She opened her eyes and looked at the three girls across from her. Hanna looked shocked that Spencer would give in so easily. The fire in Emily's eyes died down and it seemed like Emily cooled off.

Emily shrunk in her seat. "It was the job," she mumbled.

"Okay," Spencer said, rising from her relaxed position against Toby. She looked at him. "Will you come down with me?" she asked, pointing to the stairs in the center of the boat. They stood up and walked down three steps to go in the cozy little room.

Spencer looked around, taking it in. There was a light bulb hanging from the ceiling that was already turned on. There was also a couch and the cooler that held their dinner. They must've taken it down once Spencer and Toby got to the front. They sat on the couch and Spencer wondered if Aria and Hanna were giving Emily an earful for what happened.

"There is nothing that happened when I was in high school that was normal," she started, planning on telling him everything. "It's part of the _real_ reason Aria moved away for a year."

Toby listened. After Spencer wouldn't go on, he pulled her legs onto his lap and rested a hand on her back. She looked down at her hands and sighed.

"Freshman year. I had four best friends. Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Alison. Alison was…the worst friend anyone could have. I'm not going into details of what she did." Spencer laughed, no humor added. "This is what we all tell people who ask why we were friends with Ali: 'She could make you feel special. When she wanted to'. But…that's not why. We were young. She pulled us in. She was gorgeous, popular, and funny. How could we turn her down? Honestly, I don't remember a single second where she made me feel special.

"Anyway, most of the people in the town hated her. Hanna, Aria, and I included. Honestly, she didn't have many friends that she wasn't just using. Sophomore year was about to start. We all were going to have a sleepover at my house. I woke up-she was gone. She was missing for a year after that. Aria's parents took her away, wanting Aria to forget about what happened.

"Aria came back exactly one year after she went missing. None of us were close anymore-too many memories. Then, they found her body. She had been murdered. One year without knowing what happened and your mind goes wild. I told myself over and over she was safe. In Paris or somewhere," Spencer laughed dryly.

Toby took his hand and placed it on her cheek. She leaned into his hold but then just leaned into him completely. Her head on his chest. His arm went around her shoulder and he squeezed her. She continued.

She went over everything that happened after that. A, Ian, the shovel, the masquerade ball, the grave, Red Coat, the Halloween train, everything. He didn't interrupt once. Her voice was calm through it all. She wasn't surprised anymore by the calmness.

"So," she said, trying to sound light. "Sorry for being so serious. And I'm sure we've been down here for a while."

"You're apologizing to me?" This time, he wrapped both arms around her waist.

She leaned up to look at him and he pulled her into a kiss. She knew he was being so tender with her but she didn't want that. She wanted _him_. Her arms went around his neck again and she scooted closer. Spencer didn't want anything but to let go. She wasn't going to _let_ him go. And for the first time, she thought that without regretting not pushing him away.

They pulled away-too soon for Spencer's liking. He embraced her and held her even closer. She realized something that should've scared her-but it didn't.

She was falling in love with him.

Every touch they shared, every second they were together, every word they said. She was falling deeper and deeper. It was happening so fast. She couldn't control her feelings but she didn't want to. If she could, then she would've turned them off the second she realized how serious it was getting.

He kissed her hair before pulling her away to look at her. "Are you ready to go back up?"

She smiled and they got up, walked back up the stairs, and opened the door to get back. Spencer was surprised it was so dark. The other girls hadn't moved much. Aria was now sitting where Spencer and Toby were, probably to give them more room to stretch.

"Hey!" Hanna greeted them.

Aria set down her phone to look at them and she smiled.

Spencer and Toby squeezed into the space available for them. Emily was right next to Spencer and Aria was right next to Toby. Hanna was on the other side of Emily.

Aria's phone went off. Hanna rolled her eyes. "They've been talking ever since you guys left."

Spencer grinned. "Ezra?"

Hanna nodded, rolling her eyes again.

Spencer took in the darkness one more time. "Shouldn't we head back? It's getting late."

"Yeah, let's go," Emily said.

"No!" Aria said. "It's not late. Just a little longer? This is fun."

Spencer agreed-it was fun. She realized they should be keeping an eye out in the front of the boat but since Toby hadn't said anything, she let it slide. It had a GPS built-in so if they were to get lost, they could follow-up on that.

The silence that followed them was peaceful-even Aria's pone never went off. Spencer leaned back and closed her eyes, letting this moment last. Aria-since she had an entire side-laid down and looked at the stars. Hanna leaned back as well and Emily stayed sitting in a crisscrossed position, glancing at Spencer and Toby a few times.

"We need a fire to make s'mores and tell scary stories," Hana said, breaking the peace around them.

Aria laughed, keeping her eyes on the stars. "Next time we can bring firewood and some matches."

"Don't forget the s'mores," Hanna added.

Aria sat up, swinging her legs over the edge. "Is anyone else hungry?"

Spencer was about to decline but she realized how hungry she was suddenly. Spencer nodded, along with Hanna and Toby. "Em?" Spencer asked.

Emily looked at Spencer and then at Toby. Looking back at Spencer she said, "Yeah, I am, actually. I'll get it. Toby, do you mind helping?"

Spencer watched Toby's face freeze for a second before nodding slowly. Squeezing her hand one last time, they both went under to get the food. Spencer didn't know what was going on with Emily but Spencer had the feeling they were also going to have a chat.

* * *

A/N I've gotten quite a few questions about Emily and nobody has asked me one that I can actually answer. But, as you may be able to tell by the way this one ended, you will get some answers in the next chapter. Thanks for reading :)


	7. Chapter 7

Toby walked down the stairs slowly, completely aware of what Emily was going to have to say.

He finally turned to her once she shut the door. "Don't," he whispered. "Look, I know. I know. But I didn't lie. You have to believe me."

"You didn't lie? Then answer my question. Honestly." Emily took a step toward him. "Do you love her?"

Toby looked down and honestly answered. "Yes."

"So…you lied?"

"Emily, you know I love you. Don't you remember the times we had together at all?"

"Yes," she snapped. "Do _you_ remember?"

Toby knew she wasn't talking about the good times they had. She was talking about that night. "Don't do this to yourself," he warned. "Just forget everything that happened. Because it _didn't_ happen."

"Then where did my nightmares come from?" she yelled. She must've realized they could hear her because she brought her voice down. "Why do I still think about it? Because I know I didn't just make up what happened. I was _there_, Toby. Have you ever lived with this kind of guilt?" She took a step back, tears clogging her vision. "Toby I know who you are. You are sweet, funny, the best guy I've ever known. Why are you asking me to forget about it?"

Toby looked hurt. It hit Emily what she said. Slowly, she walked toward him and he pulled her into a hug. It was more for her support than his as the tears falling down her face. Toby wasn't crying-he just comforted Emily.

"Toby, why did you come here?" she asked softly.

"You've already asked me that," he mumbled, recalling only a couple of days before.

* * *

_Toby grabbed Jake's shoulder. "You're drunk," he told him, leading him out of the bar._

_Jake didn't argue. He was so wasted he wasn't going to remember this night at all. Toby walked him back to the house. They got there in about ten minutes._

"_Can I trust you to stay here?" Toby asked him after they walked into the house._

_Jake shrugged and fell onto the couch. Toby knew he would be asleep within seconds. Wanting to get back to Spencer, he decided to go back to the bar._

_Once he got there, he spotted the girl he knew he was going to run into eventually. He didn't think she saw him on the hike and hoped she didn't see him here yet. She was outside spinning in slow circles. Toby rolled his eyes. She was drunk too._

_She stopped once she saw him. She wondered if it was really Toby. It looked like him but everything was morphing together in her mind she had no idea what she was seeing. She didn't mean to get drunk._

_He got closer and closer to her. "Emily?" he asked._

_In what seemed like only a second, Emily sobered up after realizing it really was him. "Toby!" she smiled and pulled him into a hug. She was definitely sober now._

"_What are you doing here?" she asked him, her smile getting wider._

_Something clicked in her mind before he had time to decide if he wanted to tell her. "Wait. We're not meeting each other randomly, are we?"_

_Toby sighed. "Not really. I know it's crazy but…I have the time and the money to come here so it didn't bother my schedule at all."_

_Emily stepped back. "You followed me here? Toby, if you wanted to see me again, I could've found a way. You didn't need to come all the way to Jamaica."_

"_I told you, its fine. And I didn't follow you here. I've been here a week already. I'm leaving at the end of August."_

_It was true-when he booked this trip, he knew Emily and her friends were coming here. She texted him when she found out the news. She probably told everybody though. The last thing she expected was for him to come also. He honestly didn't know why he came. He needed the vacation and seeing Emily again was just going to be a bonus._

_Emily thought about what he just said for a moment. "Fine. Will I see you around?"_

_Toby grinned. "Yes, because I'm going out with Spencer this weekend."_

_Emily's face froze. "No, you aren't."_

_Toby shrugged. "We met earlier, I asked her out. You can't tell me who I see."_

"_Toby, I know exactly what you're doing. You want to ask about…_her_. You can't do that. She'll figure out I lied about that summer."_

"_Emily that was hardly a lie. I don't know her but I'm sure she won't get mad over that. And I'm not planning on asking about her. I would've asked her out even if she wasn't you're friend."_

_Toby turned to walk away but Emily grabbed her arm. "Toby…_nothing_ can happen. Do you understand?"_

"_What is the big deal?!" Toby shouted._

"_The big deal? The big deal is that she'll find out I lied. The big deal is that she'll find out about _her_. If she finds out about her then she'll think you only asked her in the first place to find new information."_

"_It's one date!" he exclaimed._

_His tone brought her anger down a little. "Toby, I don't want to fight. But what if it isn't just one date? What if you go on another? And then another? Just please promise you won't fall in love with her."_

"_Fall in love? Emily-"_

"_Toby," she said promptly. "I'm serious. Go on your date. I won't try to stop her. But if she says that you talked about her then you guys are done. Just promise me."_

_Toby sighed, giving into her. She was only looking out for Spencer. "I promise."_

* * *

"Hey, Emily," he said, pulling her back. He wiped a tear of hers away. "Look, when you go back out there, I don't want them knowing you've been crying. You're strong. Just think about something else."

Emily smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you came on this."

He embraced her one last time.

Pulling away, Toby picked up the cooler that held the food and walked out. He never heard Emily follow him. The cooler was pretty heavy and it was tough getting the doors open but he finally managed. He set it down on the chair.

"Where's Emily?" Spencer asked.

"Uh…she's coming."

"What took you guys so long? I'm starving," Hanna said, getting up to rifle through the food in there.

Toby shrugged. "We were just talking."

Spencer noted the light wasn't in Toby's eyes the second she saw him come back up. He wasn't looking anybody directly in the eye and didn't cradle Spencer once he sat down by her. When he talked, it was obvious something else was on his mind.

Hanna tossed the three of them a sandwich that Aria had put together this afternoon and got one for herself. "Okay," said Hanna. "I've got chocolate chip or snickerdoodles."

She handed them what they asked for and then asked for their choice of soda. After getting everything they asked for, Hanna sat back down. Spencer ate her sandwich slowly, eyeing Toby every so often. He hadn't been able to relax. A light above them flickered on, lighting up to boat.

"Finally," Aria muttered. "I thought we would be stuck in the dark all night."

Emily came up just then. She glanced at the light when she came out of the box.

"Em, did you turn the light on?" Spencer asked.

"Uh, I guess so. I found a switch and flipped it. I didn't know it did anything."

Emily went to sit by Aria after pulling everything that was leftover out of the cooler. None of them were finished yet.

"What were you doing down there?" Aria asked Emily.

Emily locked eyes with Toby for a second. Her face was tear-free but weak. Her smile was wobbly and her movements were slow.

"I was just exploring," she said finally.

"Guys…" Hanna said. She pointed behind Aria and Emily and they all turned to see what she was looking at. In the distance there was a light. It was getting bigger and bigger and Spencer realized it was another boat. She was glad they weren't the only ones keeping it this late.

"Is that a boat?" Emily wondered.

Aria nodded. Spencer realized with the way their boat was pointed, the light should be getting smaller and further but it wasn't.

"Wait," Spencer said. "Are we even moving?"

"Oh yeah," Hanna remembered. "When you two went down, the three of us pulled the anchor down. Just in case we stay all night, we won't want to get lost and have it move all night."

Spencer was relieved. They were probably only about five miles from shore now instead of twenty like Spencer thought.

They were finally able to make out people on the other boat. There was loud music playing and three girls, three guys.

Toby recognized one of them. "_Jake?_"

Jake looked at him when he heard his name. "Toby? Who are these girls?" His eyes stopped for a second on Spencer and Toby's connected hands before looking at the other girls.

The boat was moving away so Jake never got an answer. He didn't seem to mind. He turned back around to his friends and they started talking again.

"Well that was random," Aria said.

Spencer laughed a little and everyone made their way back to their seat. Toby seemed to be doing better because he let her cuddle against him. She smiled, leaning into his safe arms.

"You guys are so cute," Hanna grinned.

Spencer felt herself blush. She was about to call her out for that but Toby's hands went around her even tighter than before so she didn't mind that had been said after all. She felt him press his cheek on the roof of her head and chills shot down her spine.

"What time is it?" Emily wondered.

"Uh…" Aria pulled out her phone. Everyone else had turned theirs off. "Almost eleven."

"Whoa," Hanna muttered.

It was definitely later than Spencer thought. She remembered this time yesterday her and Toby were together, walking back to the house. It was weird that they had only known each other for a day. It was weird that Spencer was feeling this way so suddenly. She was glad she did though. The sooner her feelings were so strong, the more she could just enjoy being with him.

"Ugh," Hanna grumbled, eyeing the two of them. "This is so unfair. I wish Caleb could've come."

Spencer rolled her eyes and then Emily laughed. "It would've been so awkward if Ezra came."

Aria swat Emily's arm. "Who's Ezra?" Toby asked.

Hanna snickered. "Our old English teacher."

Spencer raised her head to grin at Toby amusedly. Toby didn't get it. "Why would your old teacher come?"

Spencer guessed they were waiting for someone else to answer. When nobody did Spencer looked from Toby to Aria and teased, "Aria. Do you want to tell him?"

Aria looked down, slightly embarrassed but a smirk was hinted on her face. "He's my boyfriend."

Spencer looked back up at Toby, grinning again. He looked down at her, confusion on his face. Emily started laughing and then Hanna joined in. Aria looked up at Toby, who looked back at Aria.

"Oh," was all he said.

That made Spencer start laughing with Emily and Hanna.

"Okay, it's not that funny," Aria defended. She looked at Toby. "He's really not that old."

Once the laughter died down, Hanna announced that she was going to change-she was still in her wet swimsuit and all she had over it was a towel.

"So…I assume we're staying here all night?"

Spencer sighed. Somehow she forgot all about going home. The boat was pretty fun.

She looked up at Toby. "Do you want to go back?"

"I doubt that guy is even there anymore. Besides, Jake won't miss me."

"You've got a point," Aria pointed out. "It's too dark to go back. Even with the street lamps we won't be able to dock it."

Spencer realized what that meant. She and Toby would spend the night together. Even if they wouldn't be doing anything. The thought made her giddy. She also realized something else.

"We don't have any more food, though. We only packed enough for today."

"Well I packed something for a snack before I realized how late we would be coming out here," Emily said. She got up and walked toward the cooler and opened it. "Yeah. I've got grapes and watermelon."

Aria stared at her. "You expect us to eat nothing but _fruit_ until we go back? I'm _already _starving."

"Fine. More for us," Emily snapped, taking a seat.

Hanna came back wearing shorts and a flannel button up shirt. Her hair was brushed and threw up into a ponytail

"Hey," Spencer protested. "That's mine."

Hanna looked down at the clothes and shrugged, taking a seat. "I forgot to bring a change of clothes."

Slowly, everyone started getting tired. Aria laid her head on Emily's lap and shut her eyes. Spencer did the same with Toby. Hanna stretched her legs out but never closed her eyes.

Spencer opened her eyes a few minutes later to Toby directly above her. He smiled at her and stroked her cheek. She looked around. Emily and Hanna were still in a sitting position looking at each other, probably having a telepathically conversation. Aria's eyes were still closed but there was no telling if she was awake or not. Spencer knew she didn't fall asleep so it had only been a few minutes they were like that.

Spencer rose up in a sitting place and Emily and Hanna broke their gaze to look at her. She got up and took Toby's hand with her, dragging him along. They went down into the room. The couch was big enough for the two of them but if he didn't want them to share it then she could sleep on the floor.

She stopped in the middle of the room, deciding what to do. He took over and this time, he dragged her along. Pulling her hand, they walked to the couch. He laid down and held his arms open for her. She went into them eagerly. Her back was to him and he kissed her head. Spencer pretended to be sleepy but her heart was racing and all she wanted was to turn and kiss him.

Eventually, safe in his arms, she fell asleep.

* * *

A/N a few things I just want to say. Were you expecting a lot of answers? I feel like I'm turning into a writer from PLL. Just when you think you're getting answers, people just have to be vague. Either way, I didn't want you to know everything yet. Also, in the beginning, Toby said something like "Emily you know I love you" I'm just going to say it now. Toby loved her as a friend. I promise there was never anything romantic between them. I just needed to say that before you Spoby shippers had a heart attack or something because he used to be in love with Emily. And he's not. And now that it's obvious they know each other, how do they know each other? I want to hear what you think. Give me your theories. Thank you for reading :)


	8. Chapter 8

Toby wasn't sure if he woke up because of a noise he heard or not but when he did, he first saw Spencer's sleeping figure. She was facing his chest-the opposite direction that she had fallen asleep in. One of his arms was slung over her waist and he tightened his grip on her.

Before he had much time to enjoy the moment, he heard a scream. Spencer stirred and her eyes slowly opened. She smiled at him but he got up, her quickly following.

"What happened?" her sleepy, raspy voice asked him.

He took her hand as he opened the door. "I don't know."

They walked up the stairs and saw Hanna leaning over the edge. Emily was right by her, trying to hold in a smirk.

"_Again?_" Spencer groaned.

"You have _got _to be kidding me!" they heard someone shriek from in the water.

"Oh, good. You're up," Emily said, ignoring Aria.

Hanna helped Aria back into the boat. "I know how you feel," she said, shooting Emily a dirty look.

"Wait, Em. You threw Aria in too?" Spencer asked in shock.

Toby tried to hide a grin and Emily eyed him before answering, a smile playing around her lips. "They wouldn't wake up."

"Well," Hanna said, standing up. "I'm going to get Aria some clothes." She opened the door leading to the stairs then stopped and turned back toward them. "Wait. You guys didn't…"

"Hanna!"

Hanna just turned back around and disappeared downstairs.

Spencer was distracted by the sunrise. It was rising on the ocean, the way she always saw in movies. It was beautiful. She walked to the back of the boat watching it. It was starting to blind her but she couldn't take her eyes off of it. A flock of black birds flew by it, casting shadows.

Spencer heard the door close and knew that Hanna came back.

Suddenly her skin came in contact with someone else's'. Spencer thought it was Toby for only a fraction of a second before she hit the water.

It was freezing and she swallowed so much, caught off by everything. She knew how to swim and as soon as she grasped what happened, she got a grip on herself. She plunged her body underwater to get her hair out of her face and came back to the surface. She was about ten feet from the boat.

"Okay, who the hell was that?" she yelled.

Hanna pointed to Emily. Aria pointed to Toby. Toby pointed to Hanna.

Spencer gave them all an '_are you kidding'_ face. She still didn't make a move to get out; even when Toby reached his hand out, offering for her to take it so he could pull it up. She shook her head.

"I'm not getting out," she called.

She was too far so she couldn't see anyone move but suddenly Aria jumped in the water too. After surfacing, she swam to Spencer.

"What was that for?" Spencer asked, too quiet for everyone else to hear.

Aria ignored Spencer. "Are you guys coming in too?"

Hanna furiously shook her head but Emily stripped down in her bikini and jumped in. She squealed at the cold water piercing her skin but after the initial shock, she swam to the girls. They both looked at Toby and Hanna.

"Come _on_!" Spencer shouted.

Without a second guess, Toby ripped off her shirt and Spencer almost forgot to keep her above water when she saw his nicely toned abs-if that was how you wanted to say it. He had a major six-pack. Hanna gawked, too from the boat before he jumped in. When he was still under, Aria muttered a low "whoa."

He came up and pulled Spencer on his back. She smiled, leaning her chin into the crook of his neck. She wound her arms over his shoulders and he grabbed her hands.

"Hanna!" Emily yelled.

"You know, I can start the boat and drive off right now. You'll have to swim back."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Well then good luck getting back home."

Hanna bit her lip. Sighing, she undressed too and slowly lowered herself down in the water. She swam slowly toward them. Spencer saw her hair wasn't even wet yet.

"You didn't even _jump_," Aria said.

"I was pushed yesterday. I don't need to jump."

"Wait. Who pushed _me_?" Spencer asked.

"Hanna," Toby piped up at the same time Aria said "Toby" and Hanna said "Emily."

Emily rolled her eyes. "It was Hanna."

Hanna didn't deny it after that.

Spencer jumped off Toby's back and took off the shirt she was still wearing. Since Aria and she didn't get a warning, they were still in their clothes. Aria took hers off when she realized what Spencer was doing. They both swam to the boat and threw the soaked clothes on it.

Swimming back, she hopped on his back again. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Nobody was really watching them that Spencer knew but Toby saw Emily glance at them a few times. She nuzzled his neck playfully until he pulled her from him. He turned towards her and pressed his lips on hers. She wrapped her arms around him again and his arms went around her back. She pulled away when he started playing with the strap of her top piece. He looked at her when he realized what it probably looked like but didn't remove his hand. She kissed him again before turning to see what her friends were doing.

They must've been so into it that they didn't realize her friends were watching. Hanna smirked at Spencer and Aria just laughed. Spencer wasn't embarrassed though.

"Where's Emily?" Spencer wondered.

Aria blew air from her lips. "Who knows? The ocean plus Emily…she's probably already back by-"

Aria was cut off by something pushing her up. It was Emily. She came up from under Aria and when she surfaced, Aria was on Emily's shoulders now. Aria was shrieking the whole time.

"What. The. Hell! Emily!" Aria swatted Emily's shoulder after every word. Most of her was above water by now, besides her feet.

Emily laughed. "You know, you're really tiny."

Aria quit thrashing around-it wasn't doing much anyway. She grinned. "I know."

"Don't. Move," she warned Emily. Aria started standing up on Emily's shoulders. After a few slips she finally got up. "Woo!" she shouted, raising her arms. She lost her balance though and fell forward, almost crashing into Spencer.

"Okay," Hanna said. "I think we should go back."

"Why?" Aria complained.

"We weren't supposed to be here all night anyway. We don't even have food. And I need a shower."

"Hanna's right," Spencer agreed.

Emily and Aria were less enthusiastic about leaving but eventually after getting back in the boat, Toby started it back up as the four girls helped raising the anchor.

They all got back into the spot they were in when they first got on the boat. Spencer sat on the edge, Toby on the chair, and the three girls in the back. Spencer didn't have any clothes to change into, since Hanna stole hers. She was the only one out of all of them that was still only in her bikini, making her feel uncomfortable.

"I had fun. I really like your friends," he told her.

She had an opportunity opening up. Thinking back on last night, she asked him, "Even Emily? I mean, I know she was being kind of a Sour Patch Kid this whole trip."

Toby's expression didn't change but it took a lot of effort to keep it that way. "Yeah, Emily's great," he said.

"Well, but, if you think she has…a problem with you…would you tell me?"

"I promise, she doesn't have a problem with me."

"But how would you know? She's good at hiding her feelings."

"I talked to her. When we went to get the food. She's fine."

"But how do you _know_ that?"

"Hey," Toby said softly, reaching for her arm. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Spencer sighed. "I'm sorry. There was just some pretty weird tension in the air last night."

He pulled her in his lap. Spencer started kissing him but he pushed her back.

"That's not why I moved you," he smirked and pointed straight ahead. They started seeing land and Spencer could make out the tent that man worked at in the distance.

Spencer scoffed. "You are such a tease."

She got up and walked back to tell the others. "We're here," she announced. "Pack up."

"Finally. I get first shower," Hanna called.

"Second," Aria piped up.

"Third," Spencer said, a second before Emily had the chance.

"We only have two bathrooms," Hanna told her.

"There's one downstairs. Did you forget about that one?"

Hanna opened her mouth, a confused expression on her face. She shrugged and went down, Aria going with her.

"So did Toby have fun?" Emily asked her.

Spencer and Emily were alone and Toby was too far to hear them. "Uh…yeah. He really did. Thanks for letting him come along."

Emily shrugged and put on a tight smile. "Thank Aria."

Spencer looked down to her feet and then back up at Emily. "Right."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Welcome to Chapter 9 aka the most boring and uneventful chapter ever. I worked on it for about two days and couldn't come up with much to write about. So sorry. The next ones will be better.

* * *

"Hey!" Toby called. "We're here."

Spencer turned toward him. Somehow she failed to notice they had arrived. Avoiding Emily, she stood up and went down to tell the other girls. They all brought everything up and piled out of the boat. Hanna gave Spencer a towel to put over her overexposed body.

"Okay, here's the key," Aria told the same man at the tent after walking off the boat and walking toward him.

He looked at her. "Okay…"

Aria shoved the key toward him again. He made no move to take it. "Uh…this goes to your boat."

The man shook his head. "It's not mine."

"_What_?!" Aria exclaimed.

"It's _your_ boat."

Aria shook her head. "No. It's not. Do you not remember us? We came yesterday afternoon."

"Yeah. I remember. You signed this," he pulled out the sheet of paper that Aria signed yesterday.

"Wh-and you didn't think to tell me I was signing a _release document_?"

He shrugged. "You should've read it."

Aria turned toward Spencer, who bit her lip. "So everyone that rides these _owns_ them?"

"No. Mainly just you. You didn't _have_ to sign it. Everyone else actually read it so they didn't sign."

Aria shook her head. "Good luck getting me to pay a dime." She threw the key on the table and walked back to Toby's car. Everyone else followed.

"What the actual hell?" Hanna asked in awe once they got seated.

Aria scoffed. "None of that added up. I know I don't really own it. He was just a creep."

Toby pulled out of the parking lot. Their fingers were interlaced again. Emily and Aria played that slap game where you try to slap the other person's hand. Their laughter wouldn't stop.

When they got there, Hanna basically jumped over Emily to get out of the car. They all watched her race back to the house from Toby's driveway.

"You can't blame her," Aria said. "She's been waiting for that shower since she stepped foot on the boat." Aria put her sunglasses back on and walked to the house.

"I'll…see you later, Toby," Emily said without meeting either of their gazes.

"Wow. You probably thought you would be coming back yesterday," Spencer said once everyone left.

He chuckled. "It's fine. But I could've done with more food."

She nodded. "I'm starving."

"Spencer!" she heard someone shout from the porch of the house she was staying at.

Spencer rolled her eyes, turned, and saw Emily from a distance. "What?" she yelled back.

"Can I take a shower?"

She heard Toby laugh. "Sure."

She turned back to Toby and rolled her eyes again.

"Sorry. I'm keeping you from everything," he said.

"Not _everything_," she said lightly, placing her index finger gently on him lower lip.

He grabbed her hand and pulled it down so their lips could meet.

Subconsciously she let her towel fall to the ground but neither of them did anything about it. She shivered by the breeze but she was also sure it wasn't just that. He pressed a hand on her bare hip and she shivered again.

He planted a kiss on her cheek, and then her ear, and worked his way up to the top of her head. Arms around his neck, she tilted her head to look at him.

"Tomorrow?" she asked him.

He kissed her one last time and nodded. Her question suggested that she was leaving but she didn't move to do so.

After another moment she pulled her arms back. "I should get back."

He leaned in to kiss her and she started melting. She laughed. "Stop it," she mumbled.

He grinned and let her go. Walking back in, all she heard were the all three showers. Spencer went up the stairs when Aria emerged. "Bathroom's free."

Spencer shook her head. "I want all the hot water I can get."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Well I wasn't thinking. I just took an ice bath." Aria took in her appearance. "Where's your towel?"

Spencer looked down at her bare body, cheeks warming, realizing she didn't have it. "In Toby's driveway," she sighed.

Not giving Aria a second look, Spencer walked into her bedroom and put on some pajamas even though it was just after noon. She would take a shower soon anyway.

Spencer checked her phone for any messages from Toby but there weren't any. He was probably showering too. She put her head in her hands, knowing where her thoughts were heading, especially after seeing his abs today.

* * *

"And after being outdoor almost a full twenty-four hours, I still barely got tan," Hanna complained.

Spencer smirked as she stirred the noodles around in the pot. Spencer, Aria, and Emily were in the kitchen making dinner while Hanna sat on the counter, gnawing on a carrot.

"Well I can't believe that's the first concern on your mind right now," Aria said. "I now apparently own a boat."

"Not officially," Emily corrected.

Aria opened the fridge door. "Whatever. I mean, can't he use my signature for something? Or forge it at least? I could've just signed a marriage document for all I know."

"Well then I wish the two of you many years of happiness," Spencer teased.

"I'm _serious_. What the hell was that guy's problem? And why haven't people reported his business?"

"Maybe that wasn't the guy that ran the place. The real owner took a break or something and _he_ took his place," Emily suggested.

Aria stared at her for a minute; probably trying to process that but then shook her head. "Whatever. What do you guys want go sometime? Any places you had in mind?"

"Nope," Hanna said. The rest of them shook their head.

Spencer got out four glasses and started filling them with water. Emily got out the plates and spooned the food onto them.

"Cliff diving!" Aria suddenly said.

Spencer looked at the other two. "Aria, are you kidding?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "It's safe," and after muttering an "I think," she continued. "And it would be _fun_. I've always wondered what it would be like."

"I'm sorry, did you just say _fun_?" Hanna asked her.

"I'll do it," Emily piped up.

"Seriously?" Aria asked, excitement growing in her eyes.

Emily nodded slowly. "I think I'll do it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"For one you could get lost in the ocean and not be able to swim back. Or, you hit the water so hard it crushes your ribs and you won't be able to swim so you drown."

"Hanna!" Aria complained. "Don't scare her."

Hanna threw her hands up. "She asked."

"No, I'm still doing it."

"Spencer…?" Aria asked.

Spencer looked up. "Me? No way."

"Cool. Spencer and I can watch you fall to your death."

"Wow, that's…intense," Aria said.

They all brought their plates into the dining room and sat down.

"You know…by the time we get back, we're going to have to start packing for _college_," Hanna squealed. "I mean, can you believe the three of us will be sharing a room for four more years?"

"Yeah," Spencer said with fake enthusiasm. "That's going to be great! I mean, four years with you. In one room. As I try to study. And you try to…_not_."

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Emily, we are visiting you _every_ weekend. You aren't upset that you'll be the odd one out, right?"

Spencer thought that was a bit harsh but Emily didn't acknowledge it. "Seriously, it's fine. I'm going to swim. That's all I need. I'll miss you like crazy but at least I'll get to meet new people. I'm looking forward to meeting my roommate."

"But she's never going to replace us, right?" Aria half-teased.

Emily shrugged. "They may if they were willing to go cliff diving with me."

"Well," Hanna said. "Have fun with her then. It's hardly worth it." Because you could never tell with Hanna, she had to give Emily a grin to show that she was only kidding.


	10. Chapter 10

"I can't watch this," Hanna said, covering her eyes.

Spencer, Toby, and Hanna were sitting on the sand by the shore. There was a cliff to the right of them and they could barely make out two girls at the top. Aria and Emily planned to go cliff diving when Spencer invited Toby to tag along. It was five days after they got back from the boat trip and Spencer had spent every possible minute with Toby the whole time. Toby hadn't seen the girls since then.

Spencer's phone lit up once she thought they were about to jump. She frowned at the name and looked in Hanna's bag. Emily was calling but Spencer thought the two girls gave Hanna their phone.

"Emily, I thought your phone was down here."

"Well I stole it back." Spencer put the phone on speaker. "We're scared," Emily said.

Spencer laughed. "Too late. Now jump." Spencer hung up the phone.

Spencer wondered if they were going to jump together or if they would do it separately. She guessed going together wouldn't be the safest thing to do.

The three of them had their heads turned up, waiting. Hanna was wearing her sunglasses but it was pretty cloudy so Spencer and Toby weren't wearing theirs.

Curious, Spencer got up out of Toby's arms and walked closer to the water. She reached down and put her hand in it and laughed. "Yeah, the water is freezing."

Hanna shook her head as Spencer made her way back to them. "Idiots," she muttered.

Spencer got a text rom Emily. _One_

The next quickly followed. _Two. _Spencer smirked.

_Three_. They all looked up. A small figure shot down into the water. Because it was so high, it took about twenty seconds to hear a splash. It was Aria. They waited to see her come back up and right when Spencer started to get worried, they saw a head. Aria looked around for a minute trying to find which direction land was. She was pretty far out and it took a very long time for her to finally be close enough to walk in the water.

Hanna got up and walked to the water line. Once Aria got close enough she wrapped a towel around her. They both walked back to Spencer and Toby.

Aria didn't say anything. She just shivered the whole time. When she did try to talk nobody could make out any words. Hanna was trying not to laugh but Spencer was afraid Aria would get hypothermia or something.

Spencer's phone rang again. "What?" she asked Emily, putting it again on speaker phone.

"Is Aria okay?"

Aria was still too cold so she didn't answer. "She's fine," Spencer said. "Just go." Spencer knew Emily was just stalling.

The line went dead and they all looked back up. After waiting a minute they finally saw her jump.

It took her about the same time to hit the water as Aria but Emily and Aria landed in two completely different places. Emily somehow landed closer to the cliff where a bunch of large rocks were. It was too far to see if Emily had actually landed on a rock but then Emily surfaced the water. She didn't move and soon they all saw why. A cloud of red water surrounded her getting bigger and bigger.

"Emily!" Spencer yelled.

Without a second guess, Toby got up, ripped his shirt off, and then swam out to get her. He had never been more determined to save anyone in his life, even if he had never been in a position like this. He pushed himself to go faster and faster until his muscles wanted to give up on him but he forced them to keep going.

Spencer, Hanna, and Aria watched from the sand in horror. Aria had gotten her voice back and they all screamed until it hurt their throat. They could see Emily's body lying on the side of a boulder and her position didn't look comfortable.

After what felt like eternity, Toby was finally close enough to see her more clearly. It made him want to go even faster. She tried to move after she saw him but he heard her moan.

Finally, he got to her. He moved her so she was lying down, which allowed him to catch his breath a little. The blood was coming from her leg. There was a big gash on the lower half of her leg.

They weren't so far from shore that being able to swim back was going to be impossible. He placed her into his arms and took off again. She moaned the whole time which made him go even faster.

Once he got back he put her on the sand and the girls gathered around. He wasn't cold from the water until he was out of it.

"Emily!" was pretty much all the girls said after setting her down.

"I'm fine. I promise." Emily tried to sit up but Aria pushed her back down.

"You landed on a rock and who knows how much blood you've lost."

"I didn't _land_ on the rock. I just got too close and slammed into it. Don't I look fine? Besides, we can't afford a trip to the hospital. And knowing my mom, she'll want us to come home ASAP. Are you ready to leave?"

Emily had a lot of points. There was no way they could take her somewhere without asking one of their parents for the money. That would lead to Mrs. Fields knowing about the accident and you could never tell with her what would happen. Spencer sure wasn't ready to go back home and knew that the other girls weren't either.

Although hating to admit it, they didn't want to get Emily to a hospital. Toby tied his jacket around her leg. Without another word they decided to just go back to the house. Toby lifted her again because "fine" or not, she wouldn't be able to walk.

Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and Toby was suddenly aware of Spencer behind them. She wouldn't think anything of it though. What made him uncomfortable was the fact that he had to carry her like this before. When they would stay up late watching TV she would fall asleep and he wouldn't have the heart to wake her so he carried her into her room. As far as Spencer knew, he had never carried her-he had never even touched her to Spencer's knowledge. He needed to tell her. There had been times these past few days when he almost did but it wasn't only his place to tell her. Emily had to agree she needed to know too. That's why he needs to talk with Emily.

Figuring out where everyone was to sit in his car was almost impossible. It only had the drivers and passengers seat and a bench that seats three in the back. Finally, they decided on Hanna in the passenger seat, Toby driving, and Aria and Spencer on the ends of the bench with Emily lying in their lap. Spencer would've been in the front but Hanna complained about Emily lying on her so Spencer agreed to switch. Emily hated being treated like that but it was her against four.

"Emily needs some serious medicine," Hanna said after they finally carried her into the living room onto the couch.

Aria nodded. "Gauze, some of that stuff you spray on to make it burn, and pain reliever."

"But I'm not in any pain."

"Well tell us that in an hour," Spencer said.

"I can run by the drugstore," Toby told them.

Hanna let out a short laugh. "I can't believe we're relying on the _drugstore_ to take care of _that_," she said, gesturing to Emily's leg. "Shows how responsible we are."

"Do you want to go home?" Spencer snapped.

"I was not arguing! I want to stay just as much as you do."

"I'll go with you," Spencer told Toby.

Toby nodded and they headed out together. "Have you seen the weather recently?" Toby asked her after they settled into the car.

"Not since we've been here."

Toby grabbed her hand. "Well apparently a storm is coming. In a couple of days or so."

"Wow, I really need to pay more attention." She paused. "Wait. Are you talking like a _hurricane?"_

Toby nodded. "That's what it looks like. And the fact that our houses sit on the beach…"

Spencer sighed. "That wasn't on the agenda for this trip."

"Well I'm guessing cliff diving wasn't either."

"Oh, no. I've been looking forward to watching Emily fall on a boulder ever since before we graduated."

Toby was quiet for a minute. "You know she's not really fine," he said.

Spencer exhaled deeply. "I know. I think not going to a hospital is insane but I guess we'll just see what happens."

"But what if something _does_ happen?"

Spencer shrugged. "Then we run the risk of going home early. Toby, I'm not going to keep her from getting help if she needs it just to stay longer."

"No. No. I'm not at _all_ asking you to do that. Emily needs the best even if that means losing you." Toby almost regretted what he said but knew what he said was the truth. If it came down to it, he would want Emily to be helped if that led to him not seeing Spencer as long as he hoped.

"Toby…" she said quietly. "Asking you to come and see me back home sounds selfish so I'm just going to say that I'll come to you. Someday. I promise."

Toby's throat closed up. It was the way she said "someday". Someday could mean years. A lot could happen in years. She could fall in love and forget her promise.

"Spencer I'm not going to hold you down. Look, when you get back home, just…know things change sometimes. You've only known me a week."

Spencer wanted to back herself up on that but he pulled into the parking lot so they got out once he parked and walked in.

They got the stuff they needed and paid for it. They decided on getting what they needed now and get what they would run out of later. If they got too much at the same time it would just look bad.

Spencer's phone rang as they were in the car on their way back. "Hanna?"

"Are you almost back? Because Aria and I just unwrapped Toby's jacket from her leg. The hole in her skin is basically the whole front part of her lower leg. It's bad."

"Yeah, we're almost there. Is she okay?"

"What do you think?" Hanna paused. "I guess so. She's sleeping now."

"Okay, we're pulling up now."

Spencer hung up and they got out of the car once he parked.

They got the bag and Spencer opened the door. The first thing they saw was Aria in the kitchen. She didn't look at them so they went into the living room where Emily was. With Toby's jacket gone it looked even worse. The bleeding stopped so they just saw the last, thin layer of skin. It was pink and exposed most of the bottom half of her leg.

"Emily," Spencer gasped.

"Yeah," Emily said. "Now it hurts."

"Spencer…do you want to do this?" Aria asked. "You're probably the most capable."

Spencer nodded, not being able to take her eyes off of what happened. It looked much more serious than what it seemed like on the beach.

She got down on her knees down by Emily's leg and slathered the cream they got all over it. It was stinging Emily but she put on a brave face.

"I can't do it," Spencer said when she was about to wrap the gauze around her leg.

"Why not?" Hanna asked.

"Because it needs to breathe and wrapping it would to the opposite. But on the other hand, it needs to be done for protection. As long as she won't fall asleep anytime soon we can leave it exposed for a while."

"But I'm tired," Emily complained. Toby gave her some of those pills when Spencer was fixing her up. Of course she would be tired.

Spencer sighed. "Then someone needs to watch her and make sure she doesn't move."

"I would but I'm tired too so…" Hanna said.

"And I'm going to the store to stock up on a few things for the storm," Aria said.

It was clear in their voice they didn't want to help. Spencer knew watching Emily sleep wouldn't be a trip to Disneyland but they didn't have to make it so obvious.

Spencer eyed Aria. "How did you know about the storm?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "Ezra is stalking the weather where we are. He told me."

Spencer looked at the already half-asleep Emily and decided she didn't want to babysit her either. "I'll come with you." She turned and grinned at Toby. "You can stay here."

He shrugged. "That's fine."

Spencer would've guessed Toby would have some problem with it but he didn't show any. Hanna went upstairs-Spencer honestly didn't even think she was tired. Spencer kissed Toby lightly. "We'll be back soon."

Aria grabbed her things and they were out. It was still just as cloudy as before but the temperature was comfortable. The grocery store was only a few blocks away so they walked.

"What do you know about the storm?" Spencer asked after a minute.

"It's going to be bad but other places will get hit worse. It's coming in a couple of days. And I know it may be a little soon to stock up but come on. Did you want to watch Emily sleep?"

Spencer laughed. "Not at all. I'm surprised Toby was fine with it."

Aria smirked. "Well he wasn't going to trust Hanna. She'd probably try and paint Emily's toenails and make everything worse so we'd have to bring her into the hospital."

"I've been thinking about the hospital…we can't just leave Emily in our own hands. If she gets worse we have to bring her in. Her leg could get infected or something."

"I agree but you need to stop underestimating yourself. You-and everyone else-will take care of it all. Emily trusts us with our lives and we'll do everything we can to help her."

* * *

Hanna sighed, bored out of her mind. She had been in her room for only ten minutes and couldn't think of anything to do. She tried calling Caleb but he didn't answer.

Hanna opened her door, intending to go down and get a glass of water. Just when the stairs were about to give her away she heard something hit the floor. She was frozen for a minute, scared something happened to Emily. There was a small mirror on the wall she was facing. The angle allowed her to see the couch in the living room. It exposed that Emily threw a tissue box at Toby. Hanna thought for a second that Emily was mad at him but she saw him grin.

"Toby?" Emily whispered.

He laughed. "What?"

Hanna took a seat. She didn't mean to spy on them but she had nothing better to do and showing herself would just make her bored in about five minutes again, anyway.

She watched Emily shrug. "We haven't talked in a while."

Hanna remembered that Toby and Emily talked to each other for a few minutes when they were on the boat. Maybe now Hanna would know what they were talking about.

They were silent for a moment. Emily was facing away from the mirror so she could only see Toby's face.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Toby said. "And, before you freak out, just be glad I asked you first. I need to tell Spencer. Everything. She told me everything and-"

"But you already knew everything. By me," Emily cut in.

Toby nodded. "But Spencer doesn't know that. Anyway, if I tell her then I'll finally feel like I'll be able to breathe around her. You know I'll respect your opinion but please. I _need_ to tell her."

Hanna could barely keep up with their dialogue. She assumed what Spencer-and apparently Emily-told him was Alison and A but how did Emily beat Spencer to it? Spencer told him after only knowing Toby a day.

She heard Emily sigh. "Toby…Spencer will know I lied."

"But Emily this isn't just about lying about where you were last summer. And to be perfectly honest, I shouldn't be the one telling her. You should've told all your friends after it happened. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"If I told them then you wouldn't be here right now. You'll be back home and Spencer wouldn't have fallen for you. So you should thank me for not telling."

Hanna resisted a heavy sigh in annoyance. Why did they have to be so vague?

"Emily. Can I tell Spencer or not?"

Hanna saw the back of Emily's head nod. Her next words came out broken. "Just make sure I'm not around when she does."

Toby looked sympathetic. He walked over to Emily and held her. "Do you really think she'll be mad?"

Emily nodded. "I know she will."

Hanna's vibrating phone made her jump out of her skin. She pulled it out and without looking to see who it was, ran back upstairs softly, hoping they didn't hear anything.

She closed the door behind her and looked at the screen. It was Caleb. She answered, wanting to get her mind off of everything she had overheard.


	11. Chapter 11

"Where are you going?" Hanna asked Spencer the next day after Spencer put on her jacket, about to head out the door.

"Uh…to Toby's," she told her.

"Are you sure you should? Don't you think you're taking things too fast?"

Spencer looked at Hanna with confusion. "You didn't seem to think that before. I've gone over there every day this week."

"Well what do you even know about him? Like his skeletons in the closet. You've told him; shouldn't he tell you?"

"Whoa, where did this come from?" Spencer asked.

Hanna had stayed up most of last night going back over Emily and Toby's conversation. Just about every idea possible snuck into her mind and she just couldn't shake a single one. She wasn't only angry at Toby. She had been giving Emily the cold shoulder all morning. She told them she didn't want to watch her because she was tired and luckily they believed her.

"This came from common sense. You barely know him; I don't think you should go over there."

Spencer scoffed. "Well I am."

Hanna debated what to do. She was certain Toby wasn't going to hurt her because Emily was so friendly with him but if the 'secret' is that bad, she could be heartbroken. In the end she let Spencer walk out the door. She also decided she wasn't going to freeze out Emily anymore.

"Hanna?" Aria called from the living room. "Can you take over? I need to take a shower."

Hanna took one last look at the front door before walking in the living room.

* * *

"Hey," Toby greeted her.

She smiled and walked inside. "So what are we doing today?"

Toby closed the door. "The storm is coming tomorrow night. I don't think we should go anywhere." Spencer nodded. "Besides, I need to tell you something."

Spencer tensed. "And you needed to tell Hanna before me?"

Toby looked at her. "_Hanna_? What are you talking about?"

Spencer threw her hands up. "I have no idea. She just started saying that I don't know you very well and I should ask about the skeletons in your closet."

Toby was lost for a moment in thought. She definitely didn't hear him and Emily talk on the boat. The only other time they talked was last night. But then he remembered: she was home. It wouldn't have been hard to listen to them. He tried to remember exactly what was said. He was pretty sure nothing specific got out but he knew how it might've looked.

"Spencer, sit down."

* * *

"Hanna, you can handle changing the gauze, right?" Aria asked when Hanna walked in.

Hanna made a face. "I don't want to see what's under it!"

"Hanna!" Aria shook her head. "No. You know what? I'm not arguing. Just change it."

Emily carefully sat up. "It's really not that bad."

Hanna got down on her knees and started grumbling but they ignored her. Aria went upstairs to take a shower.

"Okay," Hanna said without taking her eyes off the gauze she was removing. "I'm just going to get right to the point. I heard you and Toby last night."

Emily sighed and brought her hand to her forehead. "I was going to tell you."

"Really?" Hanna shot back. "It sounded like _he_ wanted to spill. You were ready to push it under the carpet like it didn't happen."

"So you know?" Emily asked quietly.

Hanna lowered her fingers and looked up at Emily. Her next words were softer. "No. I don't."

Emily closed her eyes. "Aria," she called.

A few seconds later, Aria came bouncing down the stairs. "Hanna, is it really that hard?"

Emily shook her head. "I need to tell the two of you something."

* * *

_The shake of the plane woke Emily from her nap. She looked at her watch. She shouldn't be landing for a very long time. She wondered why they were stopping now._

_Emily barely had time to question it before the familiar grief settled over her. She was so used to waking up-sometimes in the middle of the night-and immediately feel the aching hole in her chest. She needed it to go away but it never did._

_Here she was, seventeen years old with the death of her girlfriend heavy on her mind. It was mid-June so she had a couple of months of grieving. Her parents hated seeing her like this. Emily couldn't feel much anymore-just the hole. The night Mona went to Radley and they discovered Maya's body was a day they would never forget. Her parents suggested she take some time from Rosewood this year and that's where the plane comes in._

_She was on her way to Haiti-or so she thought. They had only been flying for a little over an hour._

_She tapped the shoulder of the flight attendant walking by. "Excuse me but are we here?"_

_The woman nodded. "So sorry for the delay."_

_Delay? If anything they were way too early. "What's the date?"_

_She looked at Emily like she was crazy. "The fourteenth."_

_So they hadn't been on for twenty-four hours, which would still be insane. "No, but we've only been flying for an hour and a half."_

_She nodded. "From Philadelphia to Columbus."_

_No. That definitely wasn't right. They were in Ohio? Emily gave her a slight nod and the woman walked away. _This is great_, she thought. _What am I supposed to do in Ohio_? She didn't have the money to get another ticket._

_Emily closed her eyes thinking of all the luck she didn't have. She let everything fall on her. Blaming everything on her. Her location added to the long list. She did this so often the tears didn't fall anymore. She didn't care if it was unhealthy for her. She liked to feel something-even if it was only blame._

_Emily went through the motions-getting off the plane, finding the baggage claim and then locating her suitcase. When all that was over she realized she didn't have a ride. Emily walked outside deciding what to do. She slumped down the wall by the entry. She closed her eyes letting it all fall over her again._

_Here she was, two bags by her side with no idea where to go to next. She knew the smart thing to do would be to call her parents. They would send her back home. She didn't want to go home. She didn't ever want to go back there-too many memories._

_She opened her eyes. She had no idea how long she stayed like that but it was barely still light outside. She guessed she sat there about an hour._

_A family emerged with bags. They had just gotten back from their vacation, or maybe they just arrived. Emily locked eyes with someone standing by himself across the street. He was on the phone but looking at her. She turned her head away but heard footsteps approach her._

"_Hi," he said._

"_Hi," she said dryly._

"_So are you waiting for anybody?" he asked._

"_Not really."_

"_Do you plan on sleeping here all night?"_

"_I don't have a plan." Emily wished he would just leave her alone._

"_Well I'm Toby," he said, extending an arm._

_She ignored the arm. "Awesome."_

After an awkward beat he spoke again. "_Well I see my attempt at being friendly isn't going too well. Maybe I should go."_

_Emily was caught between pushing him away herself or continue to talk. He was only being friendly and maybe somebody that didn't know what Emily was going through was exactly what she needed. "Go where?"_

"_Back home. I was supposed to pick my friend up but he got another ride. Here," he said offering his arm. She took it and stood up._

"_I should go too…"_

"_Go where?"_

_Emily looked around. She didn't bother answering. He understood she didn't have anywhere to go._

"_Just come with me. Back to my place."_

_Emily rolled her eyes. "No."_

"_Yeah, I get that has danger written all over it. At least let me pay for a motel room for the night."_

_Emily should just go inside and call her mom. Tell her she got on the wrong plane. They would send her back home. Emily knew she didn't want to go home. It would be too hard. The only danger in him taking her to a motel would be being alone with him. But at this point, did Emily really care?_

_Emily nodded. He took one of her bags and she took the other. He guided her across the street into the huge parking lot. He put the bags in a truck and they both got inside._

* * *

"Emily that's so irresponsible," Aria said.

Emily shrugged. "I wasn't thinking and Toby's a really good guy."

"So you lied about where you were that summer?" Hanna asked.

"No. Yes. Only a little. I eventually made it to Haiti."

Judgment was written all across Hanna's face. Emily hated that she lied to them but she was scared about what they would do if they knew she didn't tell anyone where she really was.

"Okay well before you judge, there's more."

* * *

"I don't know what you've suspected," Toby said to Spencer once they took a seat on the couch. "But no, Emily and I didn't just meet on this vacation. But before Emily, there's something else you have to know."

Spencer nodded. "I'm listening."

* * *

"_Alison is coming today," Jenna, Toby's stepsister, told Toby._

_Toby rolled his eyes. "You need to stop stalking her Facebook statuses."_

"_I was just curious. It's about that time, right?"_

_Toby sighed. "I was trying not to think about it. You know I hate her."_

"_I do too and that's why we need to be prepared."_

_Toby scoffed. "Prepare for what? You can let her ruin your week. That's fine but she won't ruin mine."_

_And that was all it took for Alison to drive them insane. A week. That's only as long as she stayed. Every summer she came to Ohio to visit her aunt. But, of course, she had to find some people to torture._

* * *

"But Alison _never_ went to Ohio," Spencer interrupted.

"Alison DiLaurentis. Yes, she did. Her brother came once but hated it so he never went back."

"Maybe we knew two different Alisons. But she never left for a week to…" Spencer thought about that. She left for two weeks every summer to see her grandma in Georgia. What if she split that between her aunt and grandma? But why would she leave her aunt a secret?

"Wait," Spencer said. "Did Emily ever go with her? Is that how you know her?"

Toby shook his head. "Just let me explain everything. Emily comes in later."

* * *

_After suffering through their week of torture, Alison was finally leaving the next day. Toby tried to ignore her but that was easier said than done._

_Toby was working in the garage and Jenna walked in. She barged in almost every night. Jenna made Toby uncomfortable and she knew it. She liked it._

"_Hey, Toby."_

_He ignored her but then he could feel her inches behind him. He acted like he didn't notice her but she wouldn't have that. She turned him around and he closed his eyes, willing himself to get it over with it. He expected it all the time. Jenna was disgusting and he hated her but there wasn't much of an option left for him._

_Suddenly Toby's eyelids became bright and he opened them immediately. There was a fire in the garage. And an explosion. Which was lead by a piercing scream._

* * *

"So the accident left Jenna blind," Toby finished.

Spencer didn't need him to tell her what happened. It was clear. Alison had set it. Spencer wasn't even surprised. And, oddly enough, her mind wasn't sticking to the fact that Jenna is now blind because of it. Her mind was on something else.

"She…_assaulted_ you?"

Toby looked down. "Yes."

"And you let her?"

Toby stared her down for a moment. "That wasn't the point. Just let me get back to what happened."

* * *

A/N so this just scratched the surface. But, just to clarify, the girls don't know about Alison yet. Emily and Toby started their story off differently. Spencer doesn't know yet how Emily and Toby met and Hanna and Aria don't know about Alison or Jenna. I'm just hoping that wasn't confusing


	12. Chapter 12

A/N First off, sorry for the late(ish) update. I haven't had as much time as I wanted to write but that's done so...I'll be uploading more (as long as you don't set that to stone). Second, were you happy with the answers? Because in this chapter basically everything you were told goes down the drain. Also, just know that I have a plan for how this story will go. There may be a little bit of missing logic and I tried as hard as I could to make sense of things for you. Keep an open mind :)

* * *

"Before I get too wrapped up in the story just know that Toby is talking to Spencer right now about this and he knows more than me."

Aria shook her head. "This is insane. While we thought you were in a different country, you were only in…Ohio. And you knew Toby."

Emily took a deep breath. "So the next day he came by my motel. I told him about getting on the wrong plane and he listened. I know it was stupid but when he offered to take me to his place I agreed. I'm not going into much detail about everything that happened but I learned that I could trust him. He's a really good guy.

"It only took a couple of days for me to finally tell him about Maya. I held back on the Alison and A stuff but about a week later, I told him that too."

Emily continued on and told them all about Toby and what they did together. Emily ended up staying at Toby's place until she was finally able to go to Haiti. They listened without interrupting and Emily felt like she was transported back to last summer.

* * *

"No," Spencer said. "Before you go on just answer some questions." She waited for him to nod and then continue. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Toby opened his mouth and then closed it. "There's just so much more. I'm nowhere near through explaining. And it wasn't just my place to tell you. I had to ask Emily."

"_Did_ you ask her?"

Toby sighed. "Yes. When you and Aria went out yesterday."

Spencer thought about that. "So that's how Hanna knows."

Toby shrugged. "She definitely knows now. I'll bet Emily is telling them."

He didn't continue with the story and she was glad. She hadn't let herself think too much about what he shared but now she needed to. Toby and Alison knew each other. She tossed that idea around for a while. Toby and Emily apparently have one thing in common: Alison. But she and Toby also had Alison in common.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "Coming here. Coming to Jamaica. That wasn't random. For you. Did you stalk me or Emily? Is that why you're really here?" Her heart would only allow her to speak in small sentences. As she spoke, the pieces molded together more firmly. It made sense.

Toby looked lost. "What?"

"You only came to get closer to us," Spencer concluded. "Us meeting. You intended that."

Toby shook his head. "No. That's not…why I came."

"Then why did you come? Did you know Emily was going to be here when you planned your trip?"

Toby's stomach dropped. He knew exactly what Spencer was thinking and his answer was just going to make it look worse. "Yes. I did know but…" he couldn't think of anything to say. But what? He found out Emily and her friends were coming and without thinking, he bought airline tickets and rented a house for him and Jake. Had he not known Emily was coming he wouldn't have even given Jamaica a second thought.

Spencer was looking at the evidence, right in front of her. Was he stalking her? Was he now stalking Emily? Was his friendship with Emily and his relationship with Spencer only so he could ask about Alison? What if he was stalking Alison and that's why she did what she did.

Spencer got up and grabbed her bag. Toby was quick to follow her and was able to catch her when she was by the front door. He grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

"Let go," she tried to say with as much fierce in her voice as possible.

Toby's heart shattered when he let go. But he let her walk out the door.

* * *

For a moment Spencer debated where she wanted to go. But after looking up at the sky she knew going anywhere but the house would be a bad idea. Angrily, she stormed over to the house. Luckily it was unlocked and she let herself in.

She suddenly remembered Emily was going to be in the living room. She intended to walk right by her but was surprised when she found she didn't need to. Emily wasn't on the couch but Aria was in the living room cleaning up all the medical supplied they laid out on the table for her.

"We…brought Emily in her room," Aria told her.

Spencer walked upstairs without another word. Emily's door was closed and she assumed Hanna was in there too. Spencer shut the door to her room, kicked off her shoes, and was able to think clearly. Maybe she overreacted, maybe she didn't. Spencer needed to replay every second back.

He knew Alison. It was almost unbelievable but she was fine with that. Alison exploded his garage. That part was more believable but also scary. She was the reason for someone to go blind and didn't tell a single person. She tried to remember that summer. She couldn't recall anything specifically that happened but it was the summer before ninth grade. Spencer scoffed-Alison was only fourteen when she did that.

She still didn't know how he and Emily knew each other but she wasn't bothered by that fact either. What set her over the edge was that he didn't tell her about Emily and Emily didn't tell her about Toby.

Spencer looked at the facts first. It obviously wasn't a coincidence that he was here. Spencer wondered if he got a house right by theirs so he could spy on them. How much was Emily involved in his vacation trip? She never once looked surprised to see him. If she had, Spencer would notice. How many times have they talked? But weather Emily was involved or not, she still needed to know why he came. Why he chose Spencer. The four girls haven't exactly been in the dark their high school year. With Alison, A, and everything else they got their selves involved in, they were in the newspaper all the time. It wouldn't have been hard at all for Toby to research them, remember what they looked like, and find Emily. Did he come to Rosewood or did she go to Ohio?

Spencer's phone went off. It was Toby calling her. Spencer rolled her eyes but let it ring. She wasn't going to answer but she felt sucked out of all her energy to ignore it.

Even though it was only midafternoon Spencer pushed the covers back and got in bed. The curtains were concealing any ray of sun to get inside, even if dark clouds were covering the sun anyway. She tried not to think as she laid there but her mind was going crazy, trying to absorb everything that had happened.

* * *

Aria opened the door to Emily's room quietly. "Spencer's home."

Hanna and Emily looked at each other. "And?" Emily probed.

"And she's…pissed."

* * *

Toby sighed when the door closed and he kicked the door frame in anger. Jake came out into the kitchen then and Toby spotted him.

"I thought you were out."

Jake shook his head, not looking him in eye. He grabbed two slices of bread from the bag.

"Did you hear any of it?"

Jake shrugged slightly. "Just the end."

Toby watched him put the slices in the toaster, not having anything to say.

"You could've at least told her all of it before you let her get away," Jake said, turning around to finally make eye contact.

"You think that would've helped?" Toby asked dryly.

* * *

"Do you think I should go talk to her?" Emily asked.

Hanna picked at her fingernail polish. "You know you're not capable of walking, right? Besides, I think you're the last person she would want to talk to."

"Maybe not," Aria defended. "We don't know why she's mad."

Emily leaned her head back on the bed. "I should've just called my mom," she said, referring to last summer when she realized she missed her flight.

Aria let out a short laugh. "Yeah but you didn't. I'm gonna go talk to her."

* * *

Spencer's brain was heavy and muddled when she heard her door open. She turned over in her bed and saw Aria's small figure walk towards her.

Aria went and sat down on the foot of the bed without saying anything. Spencer didn't speak either. Tears hadn't fallen down at all and as far as Spencer knew, she looked fine on the outside.

Finally, Spencer spoke up. "Emily told you?"

Aria nodded. Spencer couldn't see her face because it was too dark so Spencer rolled over and flicked on the lamp.

"Are you…okay?" Aria asked.

Spencer shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. Aria waited for her to continue. "It's just too much. He should've told me." Spencer shook her head. "No, he shouldn't have _come_."

"Spence, what are you talking about? You wish you never met him?"

Spencer sat up, looked past Aria, and just stared at the wall. "I wish I met the Toby I've known all week. I didn't want there to be so much…behind all of his trip. Behind his past. Behind Alison."

Aria raised her eyebrows. "What does Ali have to do with this?"

Spencer's eyes went back to the petite brunette. "Alison…Jenna…Emily didn't tell you?"

Aria opened her mouth. "Jenna? Yeah. But Ali was dead when that happened."

Did Toby lie to her? Or did Emily lie to Aria and Hanna? Either Alison set the garage on fire causing Jenna to go blind or she went blind another way. Unless she was never blind. Suddenly, so many possibilities opened up. Spencer didn't know as much as she thought she knew.

"Jenna…went blind when Ali was already dead?" The words didn't sound right in Spencer's head. They were both missing something. Emily and Toby told two different stories and for all Spencer knew, neither was even right.

"No…" Aria said. "Wait. What are you talking about?"

Spencer didn't even want to explain. She was sick of lies and secrets. Nothing was even worth it. She was just going to forget about Toby. Alison never even hinted that she knew Toby so it was probably just false. He read about them in the newspaper and decided to make up some story. It all made sense.

All of it except Emily. Regardless of Jenna and Ali, Emily definitely knew Toby. So he probably wasn't just some random psycho. Spencer still had no idea how Emily knew him and that could be the most important part.

Aria interrupted her thoughts before Spencer could ask anything. "Go back to Alison. What were you talking about?"

Spencer shook her head. "Nothing."

* * *

"You can go tell Spencer," Hanna said. "I'm afraid."

"Why? She won't hurt you," Aria said.

Hanna didn't answer so Aria just went upstairs to tell Spencer dinner was ready later that night. Bringing Emily upstairs was the hardest thing they had done so they decided to leave her up and Hanna would bring dinner to her later.

Waiting for Aria and Spencer come back downstairs Hanna went over to the window. The clouds were heavy and dark grey. The wind wasn't blowing too bad but every once in a while they could hear it shake the house for only a split second.

Spencer and Aria came down the stairs just then and Hanna adverted her attention toward them. Aria told her everything Spencer said when Emily was out of earshot. Hanna was on the same page as Spencer and Aria-one of them had lied. They just didn't know which one or why.

Hanna hadn't seen Spencer at all since she stormed out of the house to see Toby earlier. Hanna wasn't "scared" to tell Spencer about dinner she just didn't want to talk to her without Aria being around.

"Hey!" Hanna chirped brightly. Spencer responded with a tight smile and Hanna bit her lip. Maybe there was too much enthusiasm in that.

It was pretty awkward at first. Hanna had decided she wanted to let Spencer speak first and Aria decided either Hanna or Spencer should be the first to talk but Spencer was waiting for either of them to start the conversation. Most of dinner consisted on eyeing someone when they weren't looking. Aria and Hanna were having a few telepathic conversations with their eyes and Spencer just stared at her plate.

"So," Hanna broke the silence. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

"Uh…" Aria said. "We _can't_ do anything." Aria pointed out the window.

"We can do something indoors," Hanna suggested.

Nobody commented on that. It was obvious the subject was dropped and they were back to silence. Aria was secretly hoping Hanna would be the icebreaker again but this time with something they could actually go by for a longer period of time.

"How's Emily?" Spencer asked.

The tension in the room built even more. Spencer finally looked up when she didn't get an answer. Hanna stuffed her mouth with food so she wouldn't be the one to talk.

"Better," Aria said. The house shook again and when it stopped, it was almost as if the tension was suddenly relieved-if only for a second.

"Good," Spencer smiled. When she spoke the next words, there was a bitter edge to it and her smile faded. "We don't want to go home early."

The rest of the meal was set in silence. Nobody really let their eyes leave their plates as they just concentrated on the food. Spencer went upstairs and back to her room when she finished. Aria and Hanna stayed behind, obviously talking about Spencer some more. She never saw Emily at all the rest of the night and didn't hear anyone else bother her. Spencer found it almost impossible to sleep, tossing all night with heavy thoughts dulling on her mind.

* * *

What Spencer didn't know was that Toby was next door, doing the exact same thing. He shifted the idea of reaching out to Spencer over in his mind several times but logic got the best of him. He also considered Emily but there was no telling how Spencer would react.

When he was finally able to fall asleep, he decided on letting it go. Emily could take care of Spencer and in the end, there could still be hope. He just knew she needed some space.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N So you'll probably get this but during the Spemily scene, I had to change from you looking inside of Spencer's mind and then switch over to Emily's mind so you get two whole different opinions. It's not the same person thinking two entirely different things. And...I think that's it :) Enjoy

* * *

Emily, Aria, and Hanna were awoken frequently throughout the night thanks to the harsh wind outside. They tossed and turned but nothing could keep them from going back to sleep. Hanna went down to get a glass of water. She looked at the time on her phone-it was almost five in the morning.

Even though back home the sun would just start to peek, the house was still completely dark because the clouds were covering the sun. Hanna's eyes hadn't adjusted so she had to feel her way down the stairs and through the living room.

The second her bare feet hit the cold tile, she knew she wasn't alone. She heard feet padding around the kitchen but they stopped when Hanna did.

"Han?" Spencer whispered.

Hanna's hand flew to her heart and she let out a small breathy laugh. "I…uh…water," she said, waving her hand around.

A light suddenly went on. It was the one for under the microwave so it wasn't very big but it still made Hanna's eyes hurt. Spencer walked to Hanna and handed her a glass of water.

"Take mine," she told her. "I'm going back to bed."

Hanna swirled the liquid around in the cup as Spencer started to make her way back to her room. "Wait," Hanna said after Spencer just walked right past her.

Spencer turned around. That was when Hanna wasn't sure what to say. "We haven't talked much."

Spencer eyed her. "I've known you for years. We've talked enough."

"Recently."

Spencer sighed. "I'm tired, Han."

As if on cue, the wind gave them a harsh shake for only a minute. Hanna raised her eyebrows and smirked. "You're tired enough to sleep through _that_?"

Spencer opened her mouth to protest but Hanna cut in. "Spencer…please?"

Truth was, Hanna didn't have anything specific she wanted to talk to Spencer for. She knew Toby would be a touchy subject but so would Emily. She ruled out Caleb.

Spencer dully took a few steps over to a chair by the counter and Hanna smiled, satisfied. She took a seat next to Spencer and took a big sip of her water before focusing her attention back to Spencer.

"So how much sleep have you gotten? Like, with the storm."

Spencer picked at her nails and shrugged. "Some."

Hanna sensed the uncomfortable air around them so she lifter her tone. "Me too. I wonder if Aria or Emily are sleeping now."

Spencer offered a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You can go check. Why don't we all just talk?"

It took a moment for Hanna to respond because that wasn't what she thought Spencer would say. "Really?"

Spencer got off the chair. "No. I'm going back upstairs."

Before Spencer got too far they both heard footsteps. Aria came downstairs and made her way over to the two of them.

"Did we wake you?" Hanna asked.

Aria rolled her eyes. "The wind."

"Well," Hanna said. "I was about to make some coffee for me and Spencer."

Spencer turned toward Hanna. "Excuse me?"

"Fine. You can make it," Hanna said.

"It's too early for coffee."

"Says you?" Hanna shot. "It's never too early for coffee."

For a moment it looked like Hanna won but then Spencer brushed past her and went back upstairs. Aria and Hanna watched after her until she completely disappeared from sight.

"What happened before I came?" Aria wanted to know.

Hanna sighed. "Nothing."

* * *

Emily was awake when she heard noises down in the kitchen. She figured the girls were down there talking and Emily felt excluded. There was no hope in her trying to go back to sleep so she listened for them as much as she could. She couldn't make out any words though so it didn't do her any good.

Emily could suddenly hear a pair of footsteps walk up the staircase. Because she was bored, she slipped one of her pillows out from under her and threw it at the door.

Spencer heard a thud on Emily's door as she was walking by her room. Worried, she cracked open the door to see what it was.

"Hey," Emily said, making Spencer jump. Her hand flew to her racing heart.

Emily laughed. "Sorry."

It didn't take long for Spencer to get a grip on herself. She shot Emily one last look before she started to turn around to close the door.

"Wait," Emily stopped her.

Spencer turned to Emily again. She was unsure of what Emily wanted to say. She was unsure of what she was feeling. She wasn't sure of much anymore.

"We haven't talked in a while."

Spencer grit her teeth. Why did everyone suddenly want to talk to her? She just wanted to go back in bed.

She nodded. "I know."

Emily looked around the room, aware of the uncomfortable air around them.

Spencer knew she didn't want to be mad at Emily forever. Talking now would be a lot better than talking later. Spencer took small steps to Emily's bed. She saw Emily's eyes light up and Spencer offered her a smile. She took a seat at the end of her bed.

"It's pretty boring in here," Emily said.

Spencer nodded. "Yeah."

Emily was about to say something else but Spencer beat her to it. "So do you just want to jump on into it or some more small talk?" It didn't come out rude but there was a slight edge to it.

Emily opened her mouth and then just shrugged. "He told you all of it?"

Spencer didn't answer. What was she supposed to say? She was angry at him without even hearing all of it. Last night gave her some time to think and cool off. She was even tossing around the idea of seeing him later anyway. She just knew she had to give Emily a chance to talk.

"No," she admitted. "So you can." Spencer didn't want to tell Emily what she already knew because she needed to make sure the two sides matched. By the way Aria was talking to her, it didn't look like they did.

"Okay well…this is what he told me…" Emily brushed over what Spencer already knew. The stories fit until she got to the night of the fire. But that was only because she got further in the story than she let Toby get to.

"So Alison tried to make Toby take the fall for the fire. And of course, he wouldn't so Alison used blackmail."

Spencer saw all three digits on the tableside clock change, telling her it was seven in the morning. She admits, Emily was talking about what she already knew longer than Spencer liked but she needed to be sure the stories fit so she listened to it twice. And it still amazed her.

"So Alison told Toby he looked through her window sometimes. I mean, it was-"

"Stop," Spencer commanded.

She needed to get a grip on herself. Emily had only given her two sentences of new information and it was already enough for her to want to scream. Why was this all complicated? Toby was looking through Ali's window? She knew exactly where her mind wanted to head but she wouldn't allow it. She couldn't grasp the fact that Toby was just a perverted stalker. The thought made her sick.

She looked back up at Emily.

Emily locked eyes with Spencer. Her expression read that she was hurt, confused, and angry at the same time. Emily knew the full story and that's why Spencer's thought process wasn't leading where Emily's was going. Emily thought over what she just said. It clicked for Emily maybe a little too late.

"Emily…" Spencer said slowly. "Did Toby ever try to…?"

Emily closed her eyes. She couldn't imagine Spencer would even think that. Toby _never_ acted anything like what Spencer was implying. Emily never felt uncomfortable around him for that reason. Toby was the most harmless person Emily had ever known.

Spencer watched Emily close her eyes. Like she was avoiding the question. Like Spencer knew the answer and Emily didn't want to have to say it. Was it true? Did he try anything on her?

Spencer got up, fury racing through her veins. Emily's eyes shot open.

"W-what are you doing?" she stuttered. Spencer needed to stay so she could hear the rest.

Spencer didn't answer. She walked around the bed to the door and Emily was throwing anything she could get her hands on at Spencer, needing her attention back. "Please! Stay!" Emily exclaimed. The fact that she couldn't get out of bed made Emily want to cry. She was just so frustrated with the way things were going.

Spencer didn't answer her. When she opened the door she heard Emily yell Aria and Hanna's names. Spencer saw the bathroom door was closed and heard water running and knew someone was taking a shower.

Hanna came up the stairs into Emily's room. Spencer took her chance and raced down the stairs.

"Don't let Spencer leave," Emily told Hanna. The urgency in her eyes made Hanna sprint after Spencer.

It was a race to the front door between the two girls. Spencer didn't know how but Hanna had managed to catch up to Spencer and rammed her hand on the door, stopping Spencer from opening it.

Spencer placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it. Hanna was keeping it from opening but if she would lose her hold for only a second, Spencer would be able to open it quick enough to get out.

"Where are you going?" Hanna demanded.

Spencer tugged at the door as she spoke but Hanna was unbelievably strong. Spencer figured in the end, it may not help. She let go of the doorknob and grabbed Hanna's hand-the one on the door. She tugged it away and Hanna, surprised, let go of the doorknob.

Hanna stumbled backwards but Spencer was gone before she could see if Hanna fell or not

* * *

Emily rolled herself over as fast as she could after Hanna left to grab her phone. She dialed Toby's number praying that he would pick up. While waiting for an answer, the pain scorched through her leg but she bit her lip to cease some pain.

"Emily?"

"Toby, I need you to come over, now." Emily knew there wouldn't be time for a reply so she hung up. Knowing she couldn't just sit there, she carefully but quickly raised herself from the bed. Walking hurt more than she could imagine and luckily Aria found her seconds later in the hallway. She had changed but her hair was still wet.

Without questions, Aria rushed over to the crouched down Emily to give her some support. "What are you doing out of bed?" Aria wanted to know.

Emily shook her head. "We need to go downstairs."

That was when they heard the crash.

* * *

Toby ran to the door and flung it open. He stopped when he heard a door slam, looking at their house. He squinted and saw Spencer come out. She looked lost at first but then she just started running in the opposite direction of his. He was pretty sure she never saw him.

He wasn't sure what Emily needed at the house but it probably had something to do with Spencer running away.

He called her name before running to catch up to her. "Spencer!"

* * *

A/N So I'm really loving the reviews and how you're all sad that Spencer is angry at Toby. What should I do with the face-to-face interactions Spoby has in the next chapter? ;) (By the way, they have a lot) But to give you some peace of mind, Toby isn't a bad guy and Spencer is smart. She can figure things out. Please review! They keep me motivated :)


	14. Chapter 14

The wind was so fierce Spencer didn't hear Toby call her name. She pushed her feet to go further and further until her muscles ached but she kept running. She honestly had no idea where she was going but she just needed to get away from everything and running was helping. It was freezing outside and the wind made it even harder to go.

Toby debated for a second what he needed to do. The wind was slowing her down and running after her could take some time so he hoped into his car and started it. She was only a couple blocks away and he could still barely see her.

Spencer made it a few more blocks before she slowed down. What was her plan? Where was she going? She sighed and started to turn around to go home. She wasn't looking forward to going back.

When she turned she saw a car behind her-it was Toby's car. Her breath caught in her throat. He was following her. She turned back around and ran into a small alley in between two buildings. The sky was getting darker the longer she was outside. Knowing she couldn't hide in the alley forever because he saw her go in, she started running to the other side but stopped when she saw a door. Taking a chance, she opened it and walked in.

* * *

Aria needed to go downstairs and see what the crash was but Emily was in her arms and it would take a while for them to both get down.

"Spencer? Hanna?" Aria called.

Hanna came running up the stairs. "She's gone."

"Spencer? Where did she go?" Aria asked.

Emily shook her head. "Just get me downstairs. Toby should be here any second."

Aria and Hanna helped each other bringing Emily down. Emily insisted on being near the door so they took her to the kitchen and seated her into a chair with her leg propped on another chair.

"Where's Toby?" Emily wondered.

Hanna pulled out her phone. "What's his number?"

Emily shrugged. "My phone is upstairs."

Aria went up to get her phone and then came back out. She handed to over to Emily and she dialed his number.

* * *

Toby was closing the car door when he saw something inside the car flash. He hesitated for a moment. He needed to chase after Spencer but Emily was the one calling. He grabbed it and continued to run as he answered the phone.

"What?" he asked.

"Where are you?"

"Uh…not sure. Following Spencer."

On the other end, Emily rolled her eyes. "That's gonna help."

Spencer's figure disappeared suddenly. "Emily I have to go."

He hung up the phone and ran after Spencer. He turned into the alley he saw her go into but then she had suddenly vanished. He was alone in the alley with no idea where Spencer was. The worst part was the storm was nearing. They needed to be indoors now. But he wasn't leaving without her.

* * *

Spencer stepped into the room that the door led to. It was completely dark and she had no idea where she was. She left her hand on the doornob so she wouldn't lose the exit and to keep people out if they ever found her. She was completely breathless and it took a few minutes before she was able to quietly breathe.

The wind was howling loudly outside and it was impossible to hear anything. She wouldn't be able to tell if anyone was right on the other side.

Suddenly she felt the door shake and thought someone was trying to get it. She kept the doorknob firmly in her hand as she pushed all of her weight on the door to keep it closed. The wind wasn't helping any-it was just making things harder for her.

"Spencer," she heard him shout. It confirmed it really was him on the other end which made her push harder against the door.

She had just run more than she could take and it took all of what was left of her energy to keep him out. She was getting weaker and knew she wouldn't be able to hold it any longer.

She decided to give up. Letting out a small wail, she slouched down to the floor and crumpled. Her back was to the door and when he tried to get in it made her have to move but she didn't care anymore. She just didn't care.

It took Toby a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. He left the door opened though so with the little light the outdoors held, he was able to see her. He leaned down to help her up but she lashed out at him.

"Get away from me," she said.

"Spencer, stop. You need to get back to the house." He wasn't in the mood to fight her and knew there wasn't much time. He was leaving with her, whether she liked it or not.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up-with her struggling. When she was finally standing, she was able to get out of his hold and she made a run for the door. He let her get by, knowing he could catch her easily. He had driven here while she ran so she couldn't have much energy left. Besides, he didn't want it to seem like he was after her. He just wanted her back at the house so she would be safe.

Spencer made it to the corner when she had lost her balance and fell. She scratched her chin and reached up to feel the blood. That was when she felt arms pick her back up. They were strong and were able to easily slip her in his arms. After the stinging numbed down, she realized what was happening. Spencer tried to jump out but it was completely useless. He was too strong.

Toby knew the last thing she wanted now was for him to be carrying her so he let her down. He wasn't sure if she was going to make a run for it so he eyed her at first but she just kept walking. When they reached his car, he got in but she just kept walking.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

She turned around. "You expect me to get in a car with you?"

"Yes," he said. She never responded. "It's not that far."

"Then I can walk." She turned back around and walked in the direction of their houses.

As he was before, he wasn't in the mood with arguing. Grabbing her arm gently he pulled her back to the car. She didn't resist at all and he thought for a split second there could be hope.

She opened the car door and got in, waiting for him to cross the other side and join her.

The silence in the car didn't last long because he was angry with her. "Why the hell would you run away?"

Spencer didn't answer-not that Toby really expected her to. "Spencer, you know you're wrong," he said softly.

Spencer grit her teeth. "How am I supposed to believe a single word you say?"

Toby leaned back in the seat. "I don't even…why shouldn't you believe me?"

"Because what you told me was a lie. I know you and Emily told two different stories. Emily didn't even mention Ali."

Toby didn't respond. Spencer sat there, scared of the silence. What did it mean?

They were nearing the house. "I don't know why she didn't talk about Alison. But none of this was meant to hurt you."

He pulled into the driveway but she didn't get out. She hadn't looked at him the whole ride but she finally turned her head. He wasn't looking at her though which made her uncomfortable so she opened the door and got out.

She opened the unlocked door and found the three girls in the kitchen. Spencer must've looked terrible because they stared at her. "It was the wind," she defended.

Toby came in seconds later and Emily had hope for the two of them for a second, until Spencer turned around.

"What are you doing here?"

Toby was lost for words. "He can stay; there's a storm coming," Emily said.

Spencer was obviously annoyed but that but they ignored her. All of the anger came back to her once she saw Emily. She wasn't sure what she was feeling in the car but that was all gone now.

"What happened to your chin?" Aria asked her.

Spencer raised her hand to catch any blood that might be dripping. "I fell."

"Where?" Aria asked, looking at Toby.

"She didn't get very far."

"Okay if you're going to talk about me, can you take it to another room?" Spencer asked irritated.

"Whoa," Aria said. "Calm down, we weren't offending you."

"Actually," Toby said. "Can I talk to Emily? Alone?"

Spencer couldn't believe he had the nerve to say that. There was no way she would let them talk. "No," she scoffed

"Spencer, come on. Let's give them two seconds," Aria said.

Spencer's feet stayed planted where she was as Hanna and Aria walked into another room.

"Spencer he won't hurt me. Just go," Emily said.

Emily was right-he couldn't hurt her. And she knew exactly what they were going to talk about-Alison. She left, only allowing them to have a couple of minutes.

"What did you tell Aria and Hanna? Did you tell them about Alison?" Toby asked once everyone was out of earshot.

Emily shook her head. "I didn't get to that part."

"That's the first part!" Toby exclaimed. If Spencer was mad at him because Emily didn't mention Ali, then he would be mad at Emily.

"For _you_," she said. "I started when I met you and worked my way to when I left."

"So you didn't think telling them about Ali at all would be helpful? And you're saying that Aria and Hanna know about that night when Spencer doesn't?"

"Well how was I supposed to know you weren't going to be able to finish?"

"Why didn't you tell her today?"

"I tried but she freaked out on me and ran."

Toby rolled her eyes. Why couldn't Spencer just let people finish their stories? Before he could say anything else, sirens started going off around them. The three girls rushed into the kitchen.

"I think we should take cover," Aria said.

Emily nodded and soon, Aria was helping Emily up. They had decided that the small room under the stairs would be fine. The staircase was big so the room would fit all five of them but it would still be cramped. Spencer knew without Toby, it was be much better but she never said that out loud.

But she was right; the room was barely big enough for the five of them to stretch their legs out. They sat along the wall so they were in a tight circle. Toby was leaning against the door, Hanna to his left, and then Spencer was directly across from Toby, Aria by Spencer and Emily in between Toby and Aria.

Emily's legs were stretched out which annoyed Hanna. Everyone else had their legs folded but that would get uncomfortable after a while.

Spencer was hating every second of being trapped in a small space with Toby. The only thing putting her at ease was that Hanna and Aria were on either sides of her.

"I brought a flashlight," Aria whispered.

"We need it to last," Emily said. "Don't turn it on."

Aria flipped it on anyway, causing Hanna to laugh. The loud clap of thunder and sudden violent shake of the house caused her to abruptly stop. Aria was spooked for a second that she wasn't paying attention to where her flashlight was pointing but Spencer saw the light bounce off of Toby. He was staring at her and she turned away fast.

"How long exactly are we going to be in here?" Hanna wondered.

Spencer shrugged, though you couldn't see her now that Aria turned it off. "Maybe through the night," she said with a slight edge. She didn't want to be here all night. Maybe her friends could've turned it into something fun if Toby wasn't here; but he was.

They spent a few moments in silence, listening to the storm. It was very harsh and Spencer felt Aria jump a few times. Hanna grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Spencer was glad, for she needed the comfort too.

Toby was opposite of her listening to it too but he wasn't scared. He saw Spencer's shadow jump and it took a lot of restraint to not go over to her and comfort her. She didn't strike him as someone who would need comforting but any excuse to hold her again would be fine.

For the most part, they just waited, and listened. The urgent waves in the ocean were becoming louder to a point to where they could hear it over the rain and shake of the house. Plus, the sirens were still going off. Nobody moved much. They were afraid to. But after about an hour or so, everyone was getting uncomfortable. Their legs were falling asleep and they needed to stretch them out.

Hanna was the first to move. Spencer felt her lean against her and she realized Hanna was just pushing her legs out from under her. Hanna carefully placed them right next to Emily's. But, that left no room for the other three to stretch.

"Okay will you turn on the light?" Spencer asked Aria.

Aria flipped it on. She pointed it to the ceiling so nobody would be blinded by it being right in their face. Spencer saw by the lack of room left, the only way they could stretch was if they stood up. She didn't want to, though. She also thought bitterly that this wouldn't be happening if Toby had just gone back to his own house.

"I've got an idea," Aria suggested, handing Spencer the flashlight. Aria scooted away from Spencer to put herself against the wall. There was a little gap in between the two of them now. Spencer did the same, as she scooted to the opposite side of the wall.

"Hanna…" Aria said, waving her hand to the end of the wall on Hanna's end. With reluctance, Hanna moved over too. Aria put her legs in Emily's lap, careful not to touch the bottom potion of her leg, Spencer put hers in Aria's lap and Hana did the same with Spencer. Now all of them were stretched out besides Toby. Spencer couldn't help but smirk at that. Glancing at him quickly, she saw he was staring ahead. Not at her, necessarily but he was just staring into space.

Toby was hardly taking note of what was going on with the girls. He was thinking back on that summer.

* * *

A/N so next chapter you won't see Spoby progress because it's 100% a flashback chapter. So thank you for reading and please review! :)


	15. Chapter 15

_Emily sat on Toby's couch one Tuesday and checked her phone again. She was waiting to hear back from Toby. He had to leave to go run some errands and told her he would pick up lunch on his way back. He would call when he was on his way back._

_Emily got up and walked to the fridge. After seeing for the hundredth time that there was nothing to eat, she sighed and wandered around the house. She had only been staying here almost two weeks but she was still having a hard time adjusting to the town they were in. She had emailed her mom the day after Toby told her and said she wouldn't be able to contact anyone in Haiti. She felt awful for the lie she told but there was no going back and here, in Ohio, she was leading a life she wished she had. There was no fear or heartbreak getting in the way._

_Emily reached her hand out to feel a picture frame without a picture in it. She was standing in the living room of the apartment Toby and Jake shared. Jake was out working-Toby had taken the whole week off for Emily._

_Emily and Toby had become friends instantly. After she got past the fact that he was a complete stranger, they had talked and laughed. She needed someone like him to fill in the holes. He actually listened when she talked about Maya._

_Emily's phone vibrated and she saw Toby's name flash up on her Caller I.D. She answered. "Hello."_

"_Hey. Look, I'm sorry but I'm being held up. I drove Jake to work this morning so his car is still there. You can take his to get food. I'm going to be a while."_

_She dropped the hand that was still on the frame. "Uh, yeah. That's fine." She looked around the room for his keys and spotted them on the coffee table. She grabbed them and waited for him to hang up before grabbing her purse to go out._

* * *

"_So what were you doing?" Emily asked later that night. He had come home about ten minutes after she returned from eating. They were watching TV now after had eating dinner._

"_What?" he asked._

_She pulled her legs up on the couch. "This afternoon?"_

"_Oh…I was…" he was struggling to say it right. "At the doctor's office."_

_She was lost for words for a second. "Are you okay?"_

_He nodded, looking a little uncomfortable. "It wasn't my appointment."_

_Emily nodded but soon got the sense he wasn't going to say anymore. "Who's was it?" she probed._

_He sighed and muted the volume to the TV. "My sister."_

_And that was how Emily found out about The Jenna Thing._

_Toby told her about Alison. With suspicion it was the same Alison, she listened. He told her Ali blackmailed him into taking the fall for the fire. He was sent to reform school for a year. Emily couldn't believe a single word he was saying and it took him most of the night to explain everything. Jenna had ended up blind. But now she was going to regular visits to the doctor because they think she could be starting to gain her sight back after the surgery she recently had._

"_Yeah…I uh, it was a rough few years," he finished._

_Emily was still in shock. "You…you…went to reform school? Wait. Alison?"_

_Toby nodded. "Alison…DiLaurentis? I think that was her name."_

_Emily's heart pounded in her ears. So it was the same Alison? That…couldn't be true. It wasn't true. Alison didn't set fire to a garage, cause someone to go blind, and force someone else to take blame. Ali wasn't like that._

"_No, I think you have the name wrong…" she mused._

"_Emily, I think I would remember. She did some pretty damaging things to me and Jenna."_

_Emily pulled out her phone and scrolled through her photo album. When she reached one of Ali, she handed it to Toby. "Is this her? She asked._

_Toby nodded immediately. "How do you have this?"_

_Emily scrolled through again and showed him a picture of her, Alison, and the other three girls. "She was my best friend."_

_Toby took the phone from her hand and looked at it more closely. She pointed to herself and to Ali, even though he probably knew already. There was utter silence between them as they tried to grasp onto the fact that they both knew Ali but didn't know about their connection until now._

"_I…heard she was dead," Toby said. "Jenna's the one that told me. I just assumed she was lying." He paused. "Was she lying?"_

_Emily shook her head softly. "She was murdered. Almost two years ago."_

_Toby mutedly handed Emily her phone back. "Wow," he said softly._

_Emily nodded in agreement but he wasn't looking at her._

* * *

_Emily was awoken by a sharp knock a few weeks later. She had apparently taken a nap in living room. Toby and Jake were at work, as they were every day. Emily had gotten used to being left alone when they left. She had also gotten close to Jake but their connection wasn't as tight as her and Toby._

_Emily looked around the room for a moment and was filled with dread again. She was going to Haiti in two days and her luggage was there, in the living room. Emily had finally gotten around to getting a ticket. She didn't even need anyone else to help pay but Toby insisted to help. By the time she gets there, she'll only stay there for a few weeks before going back home in time for senior year. Amazingly, her mom and friends still have no idea._

_Emily got off the couch and walked to the front door. She opened it and saw someone she immediately recognized._

"_Jenna?"_

_Jenna had gained most of her sight back by now. Toby frequently kept her updated but Emily had never actually met Jenna. She was unsure of whether or not Toby mentioned Emily to her._

_It was evident by her expression that Jenna had no idea who she was. "Uh…hi," she said. "I'm looking for Toby."_

_Emily couldn't stop thinking that Ali had met this stranger multiple times. Emily ignored the question. "You don't know who I am?"_

_Jenna shrugged. "I don't. But can you just tell me where to find Toby?" She seemed a little impatient. Like she was in a hurry._

_Emily ignored her question again. "Toby told me about you…" Emily was mostly thinking to herself. She was curious about Jenna. Toby hadn't told her what Jenna was like. It was stills surreal to see her right in front of her._

_Jenna pushed back some hair around her ears. "What did he say? Wait, who are you?"_

_Emily ignored-yet again-her question. "Do you want to come in?"_

_Jenna stepped in. "You're making yourself very at home," Jenna noted._

_Emily shrugged. "I've been staying here a while."_

_Jenna nodded. "Right."_

_The silence became awkward immediately. Emily just cut to it. "Alison? You knew her? So did I."_

_Jenna dropped her bag on the floor and took a seat. She cupped her hands around her face and gave out a short laugh. "I'm actually trying to see how long I can go without thinking that name…"_

_Emily saw through Jenna and into the pain. "I'm sorry," she said gently._

_Jenna shook her head. "How did you know her?"_

_Emily briefly went over Alison being her best friend._

_Jenna stopped her after Emily told her about them being best friends for years. "And you're here because you hate me too?" she assumed._

_Emily took a seat on the other side of the couch. "Why would I hate you?"_

"_Because Alison hated me. I assume she told you what I did?"_

_Emily slowly shook her head. "I'm sure she didn't have a reason to…as crazy as it sounds…Ali might've done that because she could. Look, you didn't know her as well as me but…I'm sure Alison didn't mean for it to happen."_

"_No. She had reasons to," Jenna said quietly._

"_You didn't deserve it. No matter what you did."_

"_So Toby didn't tell you?" Jenna's voice was breaking._

"_It's not my business."_

_Jenna opened her mouth but then thought better of it. "Where's Toby?"_

_Emily let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The conversation was so…bizarre. She had no idea she would ever be talking about Alison to a stranger. Jenna's question snapped her back to reality. "He's working."_

_Jenna nodded. "I should go…"_

"_Uh…yeah. It was nice to meet you."_

_Jenna smirked. "Yeah this was fun."_

_Emily laughed to relieve some tension but it only helped little. Jenna practically ran out the door then. Emily looked at her phone for the time. It was almost five. Jake should be back any minute. Toby gets off later than Jake, though._

_Surely enough, Jake walked through the door a few seconds later. "Was that…_Jenna_?"_

_Emily shrugged and nodded. "Yup," she said, popping the 'p'._

"_Well what did she want?"_

"_Toby," Emily replied._

* * *

_Emily just went over everything that happened with Jenna to Toby later that night._

"_It looked important. I think she really needs to talk to you," Emily said._

_Toby shook his head. "She didn't need me for anything. She knew you would be there alone and wanted to talk to you."_

"_I don't think so. She said she had no idea who I was."_

_Toby raised his eyebrows. "You believe her? I told her about you. She knows. Trust me."_

_Emily thought about the conversation they had again. "So…did she already know I knew about Alison?"_

"_Yeah, I told her that too. Which was apparently a mistake."_

"_Wait. I didn't know you hated her."_

_Toby nodded. "I'm surprised she didn't tell you why," he spoke through gritted teeth._

_Emily wasn't sure what to say after that. He never elaborated so she excused herself to go to the bathroom._

_She locked her door and turned her phone down so they wouldn't hear her type. She read the previous message that had been sent to her right when Toby had gotten home._

Can we talk later? _It read_

_Emily typed in her answer, finger hovering over the send button. Before losing the nerve, she sent it. _Yes.

* * *

_Emily had successfully escaped Toby and Jake without them being suspicious or asking too many questions. She just told them she wanted to get out since she was leaving soon. They understood and Toby let her take his truck._

_Jenna had sent back an address and Emily never responded. Emily was sure she wanted to talk about Alison. Emily wasn't even worried about meeting her but wasn't sure what Toby would think._

_Emily pulled into the address she was given. She expected it to be a secret or abandoned place but it was just a neighborhood. She assumed it was where Jenna lived._

_She spotted a brunette on the porch steps of one of the houses and pulled up there. Jenna got up and walked to Emily. She opened the door and got inside._

"_Where do you want me to go?" Emily asked._

_Jenna didn't get the chance to answer. As Emily pulled out of the neighborhood, a car suddenly slammed into them. It gave Emily whiplash and suddenly, stars danced in her eyes. It came from the right so the car went right into Jenna's side._

_Emily couldn't remember clearly what happened after that._

* * *

A/N so this was completely a flashback. Also, next chapter will have Spoby so don't hate me for this. I just needed to get that summer out of the way. Please review. It means so much :) Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N This chapter took forever to write. It just never seemed finished so the poor thing has been edited so many times. And as a little sidebar, did you pick up on what was said in the most recent PLL episodes? The Guilty Girl's Handbook or something like that. Emily said something about being in Haiti for three weeks but (and I have a really good memory) in the season 3 premiere, Aria said "And you are never to leave for an entire summer again". Anyone notice what I'm getting at? An "entire summer" as Aria said would be like three months but apparently Emily was only there for three weeks. Okay, that was just a hilarious coincidence I had to say. Back to the story!

* * *

Each passing minute in the room was becoming more awkward for them all. Hanna and Aria had considered starting some kind of conversation but the storm was too loud and in the end, they just decided against it.

Hanna would announce the time based off of what her phone showed but other than that, it was mute between the five of them. Spencer never looked across from her because she was afraid of making eye contact with Toby.

A little after an hour, Aria pulled out her phone, typed something and passed it to Emily. Spencer watched as Emily looked at the screen, and type something back in response. She handed the phone back to Aria. They were talking about something like that for a while, keeping the conversation going by the phone. Hanna was frustrated she didn't know what they were saying. It's not like the other three in the room didn't notice because Aria's screen was bright in the room.

"What are you talking about?" Hanna finally asked.

Aria looked at Emily for a brief moment before she handed Hanna the phone. Hanna scrolled through their conversation and added her own text. She passed it on to Emily, and they continued talking like that but passing it to Hanna as well.

This time, Spencer was getting annoyed. "What is it?"

Emily, who had the phone now, shook her head. "Nothing."

The fact that they showed it to Hanna and not Spencer confirmed what she thought. "It's about me," she guessed. She didn't bother adding Toby, even if it was probably about him too.

But apparently there was no limit on how much more awkward this could be. "And Toby," Hanna replied.

Spencer grit her teeth. Hanna couldn't have just left it at her?

She didn't dare look Toby's way but the other three girls did. Toby tried to avoid gazes by looking up and they looked away eventually. Toby needed to talk to Spencer and knew now with her friends it wouldn't be the best time. But did he have a choice? When the storm is over, she could try and run away again. And having Emily in the room could help.

Toby spent the next few minutes trying to decide how to bring it up while Emily, Aria, and Hanna talked, or, typed. Spencer was just thinking also. She was glad for the storm. It would pull her out of her thoughts if they got to be too intense.

Toby was stuck-he had no way of trying to talk to Spencer after a while. But then Emily started talking. "Spencer, we know you probably don't want to talk. But we have to. That's what the three of us decided."

Surprisingly, Spencer agreed. "Fine," she sighed.

Toby wasn't completely convinced she would listen because she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. Toby assumed she was going to ignore every word they said.

"Well, first of all, you're wrong," Hanna started.

Spencer nodded but the phone was off so nobody could see her. "I'm listening," she said.

"Okay, so Toby isn't a stalker," Emily said. Emily launched into the story of how the two of them met. Toby was surprised but how much she remembered. She was going into detail and Toby was pleased she remembered them being together so well.

Spencer really was listening to every word. She also believed every word but she wasn't going to say anything. She opened her eyes when she found out Emily wasn't even in Haiti and kept them open. She didn't even interrupt Emily when that bomb was dropped.

"Everything Toby said about Ali and Jenna was true, too," Emily said. She briefly went over that summer and what they did. She explained Jenna getting her sight back and the day she showed up at her door. Emily mentioned the meet up Jenna had set up for the two of them.

"It was so weird. I was driving out of the neighborhood when a car crashes into us. I was fine; just a few scratches. But Jenna had broken her leg, two ribs, and…lost her sight again," Emily finished quietly.

Spencer gasped but it wouldn't have been heard over the storm. She had been waiting for Toby to join in sometime but all she would hear was Emily's voice.

"Her eyes were just so weak at the time and the explosion was too bright for her eyes. She's now blind. Again." There was a long pause as Spencer waited for her to continue. "And it's all my fault," Emily finished.

"No it wasn't," Toby reassured, speaking for the first time. He had been reliving every moment Emily had told. He remembered the moment he found out about the accident. Emily had called hm and she explained everything once he got to the hospital. Toby couldn't believe Jenna was blind again.

"Yes it is. It's my fault I got on the wrong plane. It's my fault I didn't just call my mom to go back home. It's my fault I didn't see the car come."

"Em…" Spencer said. She had to stop talking because she wasn't sure what to say. It was all just too much in one day. And Spencer was tired-both physically and emotionally.

Emily ignored her. "Um…so after it happened, someone called the ambulance. I was unconscious for a few seconds but after that I was just scared. They took us to the hospital but I was allowed to leave the next morning. I had to make my flight anyway. I never told anyone about the accident. The only people who know are me, Jenna, Toby, and Jake."

Spencer waited a few moments before speaking. Not matter how awful and surprising that story was, she had something else to clear up. She went on past Emily. "Toby…"

Toby wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't tell if this was a good or bad thing but he would take either. He just needed to know what she was thinking.

"I'm sorry," was all she said.

Any hope that Toby had vanished immediately. An apology was all she said. He was hoping for her to say anything else. She was sorry. She was wrong. But being wrong meant she could trust him. She could, and she probably knew that, but did she want to? That was the only problem. With everything that had gone on, ending it now may just be the smartest solution.

But it definitely wasn't what Toby wanted to do.

And it wasn't what Spencer wanted either. Her apology was lame and she knew that. She just couldn't find the right words to say. They were going to be monitored by her friends anyway. She needed to talk with him in private.

Before it got too rude or awkward, Toby responded. "I get it," he said softly.

Spencer seriously doubted that. Nobody would get it. What she did wasn't logical at all. She wished she could just believe she did it to make the end of their vacation easier. That would simplify this mess by a ton.

She and Toby were both thinking the same thing-that they needed to talk in private. It was only a little after five in the evening and since none of them had slept much the night before. If they were to somehow fall asleep in the storm, they could be in longer than the storm would actually last. And since there was a chance of it carrying through until tomorrow, Spencer knew she would be going crazy.

Before she lost the nerve and while holding her breath, she slowly moved her hand out in the middle of the room. It was pitch dark so they only way her friends would know what she was doing would be if Aria suddenly turned the light on or if she knocked into Emily's leg. She hoped that wouldn't happen.

She reached her arm out as far as it could go but it still wasn't enough. She couldn't reach him. She pulled her arm back and thought for a moment on how she could get his attention.

After a minute, she rolled her eyes. Why was she trying to _touch_ him? He could think it was Emily or take it the wrong way.

"Toby, are you getting enough room?" Aria asked.

Truthfully, Toby wasn't comfortable at all. He was struggling not to pull his feet out from under him the entire time. "Not really," he admitted.

"There's room between me and Spencer," Hanna said.

Spencer grit her teeth. She was sure Hanna was smirking right now. She bet the three of them planned this while they were talking on the phone. She really wasn't sure if she should be angry or not because of it. She wasn't necessarily angry at Toby anymore but still decided she needed a little bit of space.

Toby wasn't sure how to answer. His legs were dying to move but the obvious and smart thing would be to refuse. The last thing Spencer needed was for him to be forcefully close to him.

"That's fine," Spencer said softly. She was actually surprised she said it.

Toby hesitated in his spot for a moment before getting up and walking over to the spot they were talking about. Aria turned on the light so he could see the space for him. He sat down and stretched his legs out. He was so close to Spencer he could almost feel her.

"Well I guess we don't need to say anything else to persuade him."

"Hanna!" Aria snapped.

"What?" she defended. "They know it was set up anyways."

Toby loved how blunt Hanna always was. If the setting wasn't as awkward as it was, he might've laughed.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang that shook the house violently. It was the loudest noise they had heard so far and it caused Spencer to jump quite a bit.

"What was that?" Aria asked, astonished.

Spencer shook her head. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"This is so boring," Hanna said dully.

Emily rolled her eyes. "It's not supposed to be fun. What do you want to do?"

"Aren't you guys tired?" Spencer cut in. She was exhausted and wasn't in the mood for playing a game.

"Well yeah but how can you sleep over the storm?" Aria asked.

"I haven't had coffee all day. Don't test me."

"Well I still want to do something," Hanna whined.

Emily, Aria, and Hanna were silent for a moment trying to decide what to do. They didn't really need time though-this was planned from their conversation from earlier.

"I just thought of something," Aria lied. "Toby, we could get to know you more."

Yeah. Spencer was expecting something like that.

"Is this another set up?" Toby asked.

"Yes," Hanna said. "Tell us about you."

Again, Toby fought the urge to laugh at Hanna's bluntness. "My name is Toby and I live in Ohio. Why don't you go now."

Spencer nearly started laughing. That really backfired on Hanna's part.

"Why do you need to know more about me?" Hanna defended. "Just ask Emily or Spencer."

Hanna was really good at doing this on the spot, Spencer had to admit. But her heart froze for a moment when Hanna said her name. And if Spencer were to be perfectly honesty, she liked seeing where the conversation was going.

Next, Toby said something he was sure to regret later. He turned toward Spencer. "What should I know about Hanna?"

Everyone in the room was surprised by Toby's nerve, Spencer especially. She was lost for words for a while, surprised he would directly ask her. She tried to think of something to say about Hanna as she tried to calm her nerve.

Toby was starting to think speaking to her was a mistake and that she wasn't going to answer when she finally did. "Hanna went to fat camp," Spencer blurted.

"Spencer!" Hanna exclaimed.

Spencer ducked her head a little. It was the first thing that came to mind and it just slipped.

"I was just a counselor," Hanna reassured.

Toby shook his head, even though no one would see it. "You don't have to lie."

The words were harsh but the way he said it made Hanna feel better. When Hanna didn't know was that he already knew she didn't use to have her body. Emily had shown him pictures. Hanna and Aria were stunning but even last summer Spencer was the girl who really caught his eye.

Without much thinking, Spencer reached her hand out to Toby's. She pulled back when their skin connected, embarrassed by herself. Toby didn't care much, which is why he grabbed hers back.

Nobody saw and that was why Spencer left her hand in his. It was just weird. By now, he was sure to know she was sorry and had forgiven him for everything but connecting like this without talking meant something to the both of them.

The same electricity that she enjoyed was rushing through them again and she smiled. It was just a deep moment for her while the girls had no idea. Toby wasn't even worried about them anymore. Spencer meant something to him that he would never feel again. Spencer was the only one for him. And he would do anything to keep it that way.

Right now, all Spencer wanted was for her friends to go away. She wanted to be alone in this room with him. She just wished they could read each other's minds.

The more Spencer thought about the warmth coming from his hands, the more frustration she was having that it was just the two of them. She casually slid her legs away from Aria's. She tucked them under her. Before losing the nerve she leaned in a little to Toby.

Toby was stunned for a second. She only leaned in enough for only their shoulders to touch. He wasn't sure how far he should push his luck but at the same time, if he didn't move she may think it was a mistake.

To even more of his surprise, she turned her head towards him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. It was loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough that the girls wouldn't hear over the storm. In fact, he had forgotten about the girls at this point.

He knew by the way she said it that she really meant it and that she felt bad. Because her head was still turned towards him, he was able to shake his head and she could feel it. "You're fine," he said back.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Hanna suddenly asked.

Spencer had forgotten about her friends being in the room. She took in what she was doing. She almost pulled back but not only did she realize she didn't want to, but that he must not want her to either. Spencer jumped a little at the sudden voice filling the room and suddenly her heart was racing.

"It doesn't matter," Aria said. "We can't get out."

"Well I'm starving," Hanna complained.

"Why didn't we bring food in here?" Emily wondered.

"With what space? It wouldn't have fit," Aria pointed out.

"So?" Hanna argued. "It doesn't matter that there's no space. Only that we forgot and I'm starving."

"_You_ forgot," Emily said. "Well, you and Spencer."

"What?" Spencer said suddenly. She hadn't been listening to them much until she heard her name. She snapped her head back to face forward like it had been the whole time.

Ignoring Spencer, Hanna went on. "Actually, it wasn't my fault. Spencer was supposed to remember to bring the food in."

"Nobody told me that."

They dropped the subject. Spencer was tired and because she was already so used to the storm, she wondered if sleeping would be as impossible as she thought.

She pulled her legs out from under her and stretched them out again, this time making sure she and Toby were still connected. She wasn't ready to let go.

Her feelings weren't mixed, either. They were crystal clear. She really did need Toby. She needed him in her life. What had happened these past few days were nothing when she could compare it to when they were together. She just needed to hope he was feeling the same way.


	17. Chapter 17

Not much conversation continued through the next couple of hours. Toby was lost in thought. It wasn't close to silence though because of the storm but it was definitely more peaceful than listening to the girls talk.

And Spencer hadn't moved much. Their hands were still laced together and her friends still didn't know. Eventually, Toby knew she was really getting tired-they were all exhausted. He wasn't completely sure but it looked like Emily may be asleep, or almost asleep. Hanna's foot was tapping repeatedly on the floor. Toby was also tired but he would stay up all night with Spencer here like this. His mind was worried that once they were out of the room, she wouldn't feel the same.

Toby looked down at Spencer. He couldn't see her clearly though. Toby took the hand that was holding theirs and wrapped that arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his chest. Toby wasn't completely sure she would like being this close but she didn't seem to mind. He just figured it would be easier for her to rest this way.

Spencer breathed in Toby's scene as she closed her eyes. She had been fighting sleep for a while but now she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. She never wanted to move. She even felt like he was protecting her from the storm.

* * *

Hanna had managed to slip in and out of sleep throughout the night. She had no idea about the others but nobody ever talked much, or at all that Hanna knew.

It was still completely dark. Hanna had to take a minute to remember where exactly everyone was. She sat up a little straighter. "Anyone awake?" she called.

The storm had settled down and Hanna thought they may have a chance at getting out soon. She would pull up the report on her phone but didn't want to disturb anyone sleeping. That was why she couldn't check the time, either.

Hanna's voice pulled Spencer out of her light sleep. She opened her eyes to darkness and realized she was lying down on the floor. She knew she had, like Hanna, been in and out of sleep all night. One time when she guessed she was the only one awake, she slid down to a more comfortable position, laid her head in Toby's lap, and went back to sleep.

Spencer sat up and heard Emily and Aria tell her they were awake. Spencer mumbled a "yeah" too, still a little groggy.

Spencer poked Toby lightly on the side, trying to wake him up. Hanna turned her phone on and pointed the screen over to them. Spencer felt caught for a moment but then realized it didn't look like they were doing anything.

Spencer squinted through the light. "It's too bright," she complained.

Hanna shut it off. "I think we can go out now."

Toby started to stir and so she put a hand on his leg. Spencer listened and nodded. "It just sounds like rain."

Spencer stood up but she had to crouch because the ceiling was too low. She heard the other girls get up too. She took Toby's hand and pulled him up as Hanna opened the door.

The rain was even louder outside of the room and much brighter. It took a while for their eyes adjust and for them to stretch out. It was weird to be trapped there for so long.

Emily insisted on walking back because her legs were so cramped. She was limping as she walked to the living room where she would lie down on the couch. The four of them tried to watch her but she was doing fine. Spencer wondered if she would be back to normal by the time they go home.

Emily got into the living room with a little difficulty but she managed without anyone's help. After making sure she was fine, Hanna and Aria went into the kitchen to get some food. It was a little after six in the morning so Spencer assumed it would be breakfast food.

And, of course, that left her with Emily and Toby. Silence settled upon them and it got uncomfortable fast. She was tempted to follow Hanna and Aria but then Emily spoke up.

"Spencer, do you believe me?"

She knew what Emily was talking about. It was everything she Emily told them last night about last summer. Spencer did believe her but she wasn't willing to talk now. She gave Emily a nod. "Yeah, I do," she made her tone sound as honest as she could but also so she would get that the subject was dropped.

Spencer wanted to ask if they were hungry but it would be an obvious answer. Plus, she wasn't sure if she should talk to Toby in front of them yet, even about food.

Luckily, Hanna came in only a few seconds later. She sat down on the other end of the couch and sighed. "Please don't ever make me stay in there again."

Emily nodded. "That was awful."

Now that Hanna was out, Spencer figured she could slip out of the living room. She went into the kitchen where Aria was. Spencer sat down on one of the barstools. Aria was standing in the middle of the room. When Spencer walked in she was staring off in space, probably very tired from lack of sleep. She focused her attention on Spencer when she walked in.

Aria gestured to the microwave oven on the counter. "I just figured we could have bagels." There were five bagel in it now, toasting. Spencer could almost smell them and her stomach churned. She never realized how hungry she was until now.

Aria jabbed a thumb toward the opposite side of the counter and smirked. "I'm also making coffee."

Spencer yawned and nodded. She pulled her arm out in front of her and laid her head down.

Aria walked over to the other side of the counter Spencer was sitting at and propped her elbows on them.

"I should probably call Ezra," she murmured.

Spencer nodded again when the timer went off for the oven. Neither made a move to get it but eventually, Spencer pulled herself from the chair and carefully took them out. She put another set of three in and turned it on.

She turned around to face Aria. "Here," she handed her the plate. "Take these to them."

Aria did as she was told and Spencer stood in the kitchen. She was so tired and knew they all were. After eating, she just wanted to go right back in bed. But before that she needed to shower. She also had to talk with Toby but she was willing to push that back as far as she could.

Aria never came back by the time the next batch was ready so Spencer had to unwillingly take them back to them. She picked one up and nibbled on it as she walked in the room. It would give her hands something to do.

Emily and Aria were both lying on the L-shaped couch, staring at the ceiling. Toby was still standing but his back was to Spencer.

"Where's Hanna?"

"Probably taking a shower," Aria answered.

Spencer set the plate down on the coffee table. She was aware of Toby watching her but she didn't let it bother her. She went to sit on the end of the couch. Aria's legs were taking up the space so Spencer moved them out of the way. Aria just put her legs in Spencer's lap though. Spencer leaned back and closed her eyes.

She really didn't even care anymore that Toby was here. He had been around them so much these past couple of weeks that she knew he didn't feel uncomfortable, especially with Emily here.

After a minute, Aria got up and took a bagel. She handed one to Emily and get another for herself. She offered one to Toby and he took it, too.

They ate it in silence for a minute. Aria was the one to interrupt. "I'm gonna go, too."

Spencer watched her climb the stairs. Aria was the only one right now keeping Spencer in control. And now, again, it was just her, Emily, and Toby.

After finally putting her focus back on them, she saw Emily and Toby were looking at each other.

"I need some rest," Emily announced. She placed the last bite in her mouth and laid back down.

It was official that Spencer couldn't dodge him anymore. She locked eyes with him and nodded upstairs. Toby nodded and she turned and walked up, him following.

Spencer opened the door to her room and walked inside. She heard the door close behind her but couldn't hear him over the rain. She turned around to face him. She was unable to read his face.

"I'm sorry. For the way I acted," she began. "I just…I've had a rough year. It was hard to trust someone."

"You didn't trust me?" he asked. She knew he was talking about before he told her about Ali.

Her heart tugged at the pain in his voice, though his expression didn't show it. "Of course I did," she said softly. She shook her head. "I_ do_ trust you. I was just…I don't know. I should've known that you would never…" she trailed off. "Emily knew you. She likes you. I should've…known that you wouldn't…do anything." Spencer's voice was coming out a little strangled. She was having a hard time choosing what to say.

There was so much more that she could say but she just left it there. Her words hung in the air for a moment, before he spoke up.

"Spencer, I do like you. I _really _like you. I would never do anything to you."

Spencer hated where this was going. She shook her head vigorously. "That's not what I'm saying." Spencer paused and took a small step towards him. "I _really_ like you too." A grin was trying to emerge onto her face but she fought it back with everything she could. She didn't want to show her feelings before he responded.

Toby's eyes stared back into hers. "Just like that?" his voice had an edge to it, making Spencer fearful.

Vulnerability was caught inside of her. "What do you mean?"

"Spencer, you ran from me, from your friends. You ran away when there was a storm coming. I'm still not even sure why, by the way. But now you think just by saying-"

She cut him off. "Do you not understand what I've been through?" She was yelling but didn't care. "What we've all been through?"

Toby shook his head. "No, of course I do. But wouldn't that make you smarter? You running way like that? That wasn't smart, Spencer."

Spencer lowered her voice. "You were connected to _Alison_, okay? What was I supposed to think?"

"You were _supposed_ to listen to me. I was telling you everything-honestly."

"And I'm supposed to take your word for it?"

"Emily did. Wouldn't you trust her?"

Spencer rolled her eyes. "She was grieving at the time. She let a complete stranger take her to a motel. She wasn't even smart enough to call her mom. Her mind wasn't thinking at all that summer."

Toby had so many arguments against what she had said. Emily was destroyed by the loss of Maya but she wasn't just not thinking. "How would you know? I was with her, not you."

Spencer thought back to the day she came back. It was the night she was drugged and lured to the graveyard. "She was completely broken when she came back. She didn't know right from left and ended up getting drunk that night."

"Because of the car accident," he argued

Spencer rolled her eyes. All he was saying was that Emily didn't have a care in the world that Maya had been murdered, which obviously wasn't true.

Toby was actually getting tired of yelling with her. It seemed no matter what he said, she had something to back her up. She was raised by lawyers.

"But you do trust me?" he asked. The soft tone in his voice was a sudden change from the raised volume they had been going at.

Spencer raised her eyes back up at him. Her mood was still in a rage so of course, she didn't want to answer. But he really did need one from her. She nodded. "Of course I do."

Everything suddenly became still. As much as Toby loved hearing that, he couldn't leave it there. "But…you didn't."

Spencer shook her head softly. "It was just…I don't know."

Toby waited for her to elaborate but she never did. They stood in silence for a few moments. "I should probably get back," Toby said.

He turned to leave when Spencer stopped him. "Toby…" Toby turned back around, waiting for her to finish. "Will you be back?" she finally asked.

Toby was tired of guessing. He needed her to tell him what she was thinking. "I just don't know what you want, Spencer." His volume was raised from the softer tone she used but he wasn't speaking loud either.

Spencer knew where he was coming form. She had been sending so many mixed signals recently sometimes she wasn't even sure what she wanted. But then she would remember why she would send the mixed signals and what she wanted became clear. She had been afraid of leaving and going back home because you could never be sure what would happen once they did. They may never see each other again.

And if she didn't have any feelings for him, going home would be simple. She was scared because she knew it wouldn't be simple. She really did need him.

"I want _you_," she answered confidently.

Toby believed her. He felt the same way. He just wasn't sure where to go from there. He didn't have to think much before her body crashed against his. He held her in her arms for a while and she did the same.

He held onto her tightly, finally so relieved to have her in his arms again. Spencer looked up into his eyes. He pressed their foreheads together but she brought his head down a little to place his lips on hers.

Warmth shot down Spencer's spine. Nothing could ruin her mood now. She hated the time they lost these past few days and only wanted him for the moment.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He cupped her cheek with one of his hands. "Don't."

She listened to him and didn't speak anymore. She brought her lips back to his and felt time freeze.

After a moment, it was him that pulled away this time. "You need rest."

Spencer shook her head. She was stubborn and didn't want to go to sleep. She wasn't even tired anymore until he brought it up. Heaviness flooded her eyelids as she forced them not to droop.

Toby took one of her hands and led her to the bed across the room. He untucked the blankets and Spencer obediently crawled in. She was out almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She did remember him getting gin beside her. He took her in her arms and she laid her head on his chest as she slipped into sleep.

* * *

A/N I know I've mentioned this so many times but I have a plan for the rest of the story. I don't have anything specific for the next for days so sorry if they may become uneventful. I'm trying to work in Spencer and him getting lots and lots of time together but I don't want her ditching her friends either. I actually like it when he is with the other three girls (but don't worry-Spoby will get time alone). As always, please review. Thank you so much for reading. Xo


	18. Chapter 18

"Your leg seems to be doing better," Aria noted.

Emily nodded but didn't say anything. She was still groggy from just waking up. Aria, Hanna, and Emily were in the living room a few hours later. They had all gotten some sleep and the rain was dying down a little bit.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Hanna asked. Neither girls responded. "Just me? Okay." Hanna got up and walked in the kitchen.

Suddenly, Spencer came down the stairs. She had obviously just woken up; her hair was in a mess but she pulled it into a loose ponytail and she rubbed her eyes.

"Where's Toby?" Spencer asked.

When she had woken up a few minutes ago she was alone in her bed. She figured he already woke up and came down but he wasn't here, either.

"He went back home about an hour again," Aria answered.

Spencer frowned. Why would he leave? She cleared her throat and sat down on the couch with the other two. "When is he coming back?"

"He doesn't really have a reason for being back anytime soon," Emily said. "Why? Did you want him back?"

So he hadn't told them about them yet. She understood why he didn't, though. And Emily was right; if they didn't know about them then he wouldn't have a very good reason to come back. She was sure it wouldn't be long before he did though.

Spencer shook her head slightly. "I was just wondering."

"Good. You're up," Hanna said, walking in the living room. She had a ham sandwich in her hand, which was making Spencer want one for herself.

"I'm up," Spencer sighed.

Hanna took a bite and by the time she swallowed, nobody had spoken. "So..." she started.

She was looking directly at Spencer as she said it. "So what?"

"So what happened with you and Toby?"

Aria and Emily were also wondering but didn't want to bring it up. The four girls looked at Spencer, waiting for her to spill.

Spencer picked up a pillow and started toying with one of the edges. She shrugged but she was fighting a smile the whole time. "We're fine."

"As in…" Aria began. Spencer didn't respond as soon as Aria waited. "Friends?" Aria finished.

Spencer let the grin escape. She shook her head. "No."

"And you're okay?" Emily asked.

Spencer sucked on her lip. "I'm fine. It's fine. I…" Spencer nodded. "I mean…yeah. We're both okay."

"But you do you really think what happened will just go away?" Hanna wondered.

Spencer stared at Hanna. "It was nothing," she defended.

"I know but all I'm saying is that you just can't be sure what happened won't come back someday. I mean, are you _sure_ it's all behind you?"

"Hanna!"

Hanna stared back at Emily. After a moment, she brought her voice down. "I'm sorry. Look, I like Toby too but someone had to say it. Spencer, are you just going to ignore it for the rest of the vacation?"

"I'm _not_ ignoring anything. We already talked. Are you finished?"

Hanna raised her hands. "I am not the bad guy, okay?"

"But you think Toby is?"

Hanna looked away for a second. "Forget it."

"No, Hanna. Continue," Spencer pressed. She was getting angry.

"Seriously, Spencer. It's nothing. Like I said, Toby's great and I wasn't accusing you or him of anything. I just…Aria and Emily weren't going to say anything." Hanna exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry. Just forget what I said."

Spencer wasn't going to forget what she said. She was going to argue but the four of them heard the door open. A few seconds later, Toby walked in the living room.

"What were you doing?" Emily asked him.

Toby slid his eyes over to Spencer. He didn't know they knew so he was unsure of what to do now. He focused his gaze back on Emily to answer. "Uh, I just needed to change. Plus, Jake was probably wondering about me."

Just to test him, Aria asked, "Why did you come back?"

Toby didn't answer at first. He came back to check on Spencer but wasn't sure if they were still a secret. "Did you want me to leave?" he asked awkwardly.

Emily started laughing. "You can stay if you want."

That made Toby more uncomfortable. "No, I can go…" He looked down at Spencer but she was looking at Emily.

"I mean," Aria said. "You don't _have_ to go."

Spencer knew Hanna would be having fun with this too but Hanna wasn't joining in. It was probably because Spencer was still mad.

"I should probably get back anyway," he said. Spencer was trying her best to conceal a smile.

Toby turned to walk back out of the house. Spencer rolled her eyes. "Toby, come back in here."

Toby turned back around and slowly walked back in. "We were just joking," Emily said amusedly.

Toby looked sheepish. He looked down at Spencer who was grinning. She looked back at him and reached her hand out. Slowly, he took it. She pulled him down to sit next to her.

"How long do you think it'll be until we can actually do something outdoors?" Hanna wondered.

Emily turned her head to look outside through the window. Everything was soaked and knocked over by the wind from last night. There were huge puddles and branches all over the place. It was going to take a while for everything to be cleaned up.

"Something as in hiking?" Aria asked. She shook her head. "Longer then we'll be here for."

Spencer was uncomfortable with talking about leaving. She was even considering asking her mom if they could stay longer. She was afraid of what her mom might answer so she couldn't actually bring herself to ask. She hated the thought of leaving, especially because when they do, Toby was still going to be here for another month and a half.

Spencer also knew it wasn't fair to the other girls to want to stay. She knew they were all having the time of their lives here in Jamaica and never wanted to go back but they had things at him to get back to. Caleb, Ezra, their parents. They also had to get ready for moving into their dorm room for college.

"Well that's great," Hanna mumbled. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Wouldn't you take this over Rosewood?" Emily asked. "No matter what the weather?"

Hanna nodded. "Yeah but wasn't the point to _do_ something here?"

"Maybe we could come back next year," Spencer suggested.

It really wasn't a bad idea. Toby could come at the same time. Spencer thought about reliving the vacation all over again next year, minus the confusion and storm.

"And check the weather," Aria added.

Hanna's phone suddenly lit up. "My mom," she murmured. She answered and walked out of the room to talk.

After a few moments, Aria frowned. "I am hungry." She got up and left to go into the kitchen.

"So am I." Emily couldn't get up to get anything though, obviously.

Spencer stood up; leaving her hand connected with Toby's, who was still sitting. "I'll get something." She looked down at Toby. "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head so Spencer released her hand to walk out of the room and into the kitchen where Aria was.

"Hey," Spencer greeted.

Aria smiled back at her and silence fell upon them. Aria wasn't even getting any food for herself when Spencer walked in. Neither of them moved, and Spencer wasn't sure why.

"Uh, I'm here to deliver orders," Spencer said after a few moments. "The rest of us are hungry."

Aria nodded. She was staring off into space and still didn't move.

"Aria? Did you want me to make them?"

Aria looked back at Spencer. "What? I can do them."

Spencer took a step forward. "Are you okay?"

Aria turned around and picked up the bag of bread. She nodded mutely. "I'm fine."

Spencer rolled her eyes "Out with it."

Aria sighed. She turned around and Spencer saw she was chewing on her lip. "I probably shouldn't be talking to you about this."

"Well what's it about?"

"You."

Spencer let out a short laugh. "_Just_ me?" She knew where Aria's mind was.

She ignored Spencer's question. "What if Hanna's right?"

Spencer was about to lose it. It seemed now Emily was going to be the only one on her side about this, and Emily had a clear view on Toby so Emily's opinion wouldn't mean as much as the other girls' opinions would. She was still angry at Hanna but the last thing she expected was for Aria to back her up.

Before Spencer could reply, Aria cut in. "Just listen. The both of you have a lot to make up for. Do you see everything going back to the way they were?"

Spencer didn't see any logic in what Hanna was going on about before and still didn't understand with Aria. "Okay, I can look out for myself."

"I _know_ that. What's wrong with having a friend talk to you?"

"Aria, you're not being _fair_. How well do you know him?"

"How well did you know him?" she shot back. "Clearly not enough."

The words hit Spencer hard. She spun on her heel and walked out the door. By the time she got into the living room, Hanna had joined them again. Spencer hardly looked at the three on the couch; she just walked up the stairs.

Emily must not have noticed Spencer's mood. "Where's the food? I'm starving."

Spencer stopped on one of the steps and looked down at them. "It might be a minute." She locked eyes with Toby for a moment before going up all the stairs and into her room. She left the door open, knowing he would follow her

Spencer kicked off her shoes and lied down on the bed. Sure enough, she heard the door close seconds later, followed by the shake of the bed when he got in beside her.

"Spencer…"

"What?" she murmured.

He placed his chin on her shoulder. "Nothing."

His breath tickled her face. She rolled over so she could face him. "I'm sorry."

Toby let out an annoyed sigh. "Stop apologizing."

"But there's a lot I have to apologize for."

Toby shook his head. "Not there isn't."

Spencer slowly closed her eyes. She didn't want to argue now but she was going to keep apologizing as long as she felt like she still had things to make up from with him.

Toby grabbed a lock of her hair and started playing with it. Spencer opened her eyes but kept her gaze away from his.

When she did lift her eyes back to him, she caught him staring back at her. She smiled. He could take her mind off anything. She needed that now. She needed a distraction. Hanna and Aria were forgotten, along with everything else at the moment.

He pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead. She buried her face in his chest and toyed with the collar of his shirt.

"Toby?" she asked. He didn't respond. "Are you ever afraid? Of the end of summer, I mean." She hoped he would get where she was coming from.

Toby pulled back. "Why do you think like this?"

Spencer sat up and pulled her legs up. She wrapped her arms around them and leaned her head on her arms, facing him. "How can I not?" she murmured.

He sighed. "Are we really going to talk about this?"

Spencer unwrapped her arms and scooted herself to the head of the bed where her back leaned against the headrest. "I guess not."

Toby sat up as well. "We can talk about what made you so upset earlier."

She shook her head. "It was nothing." He continued to stare at her. "Really," she protested. "In fact, let's go back down."

She kicked her feet over the side of the bed. She started to get up when he pulled her arm back. She fell back on the bed and laughed.

"Or not," she muttered.

He smirked and leaned down to place his lips on hers. She was still slightly laughing, her mind becoming foggy. Spencer knew she had only pushed him away for two days but that was a long time considering how long they had anyways. She wanted to make up for it with all the time in the world.

Toby was still in a sitting position while she was lying down. When they broke away she rolled over on her stomach.

Even though she had just woken up, she was still exhausted. She closed her eyes and her hand found his. She played with his fingers to try and keep her from falling asleep.

"Are you tired?"

Spencer only nodded. Toby started moving and she opened her eyes to see him lie down with her. She leaned back into him and drifted into sleep.

* * *

"Aria, what did you say?" Emily demanded.

Aria had just come back into the living room, with no food, right after Toby chased after Spencer.

Aria looked over at Hanna. "Your words got to me." She buried her face in her hands. Sighing, she brought them back down and looked at the both of them. "She's just on edge. I never should've said what I said anyway."

"Wait," Emily said. "I thought you liked Toby."

Aria opened her arms out wide. "I do. That's why I never should've said anything."

Hanna shook her head. "She'll get over it. I didn't mean what I said, either. Honestly, I didn't even think it was a big deal."

Emily scoffed. "Give her a break, guys. Anything you say that could be even the slightest anti-Toby is going to set off bombs for her. And she's probably cooled off by now."

Aria knew she was right. She was a completely carefree happy person when she was with him. She ran over her idea another time in her head. It was a long shot but Aria had to at least share the idea.

"I've been thinking about something… So, I know that it's going to kill her when she leaves but what if we convince her parents to stay longer. I'm not even suggesting we have to. We go home when our month is up while Spencer stays with him."

Emily looked doubtful. "But she needs to come home. She hasn't even packed for college and wouldn't her mom wonder why she's going to stay alone longer?"

Aria nodded. "I know the flaws to this. And I also know it's not right to keep her from home just to stay on a vacation longer. And the chances of this is a long shot. But can you see her having to leave this place, knowing Toby is staying for another month and a half? I mean, she's going to be miserable."

"But wouldn't she be miserable going home either way?" Hanna pointed out. "Giving them more time-alone, I might add-is just going to make it that much harder for her."

Aria sucked on her lip. She honestly hadn't even thought about that. "So…that's it? We leave. He stays. She's miserable for the rest of the year and they never see each other again?" Aria wasn't completely sure why but she felt like she had to make this right for them.

Hanna shook her head. "Aria, there's nothing else we can do. We should just stay out of it."

They really should just stay out of it, and Aria knew that. "Maybe forgetting him after this trip is better for her than waiting for him to come once we start school."

Emily wasn't sure that was the best thing to do. But every time she thought more of it, staying out of it just came back to her in every way. Spencer could deal with anything that happened when this is all over.


	19. Chapter 19

Spencer and Toby walked down the stairs about an hour later, hand in hand.

"Spencer, I'm sorry about what I said." Aria was going to be apologizing to Spencer just about as much as she would be apologizing to Toby, Spencer guessed.

Spencer smiled. "I'm over it."

Emily shot Aria and Hanna a look. She had told them Spencer would be fine after being with Toby.

"I'm sorry too," Hanna said quietly.

"_Seriously_. It's fine."

* * *

"Are you _sure_ we can swim?" Hanna asked.

The storm was only three days ago. While Spencer was the only one to get out of the house since then, Hanna, Aria, and Emily were going out to the beach in front of the house. It's still very wet out there but the sun was out. There was also a few other people out there near the shallow area, now further a yard from shore.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Aria questioned.

Emily was still limping but she was forcing herself to go. They would never let her go out too far to swim, though she wanted to. Emily was doing fine now and the other girls were positive it would be so healed by the time they got home.

As for Spencer, she planned on staying home with Toby for the afternoon. It was hard for her because she had come with her friends and needed to spend time with them alone sometimes but also knew that she wanted to be with Toby every second. The way she had managed to work it out for now was to have the girls in the morning when they had woken up. Toby came over a little before noon where she was with him and he went home in the evening, where she spent with the girls. They understood, though and didn't think of it much as a problem. Spencer was happy they were finally able to get out, which would give them something to do while she was with Toby. If anyone should have a problem, it would be Emily since she was about to leave them for college but because she was close to Toby, it was better for her.

Spencer closed the door after the girls had left and walked into the kitchen. Toby was still at his place but she knew he would let himself in any minute. She raised herself on the countertop and sat there, staring off into space.

Her mom had called yesterday. Spencer briefly told her about the storm but, because she didn't want her to worry, she brushed it off saying it wasn't much of a big deal. Spencer remembered her last night tossing the idea of talking with her mom about when they could come home around in her head for a while but through the conversation, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

The rest of the phone call was just small talk; Spencer had been too engaged in her thoughts to really focus on her mother. It was hard to decide if she wanted to ask about staying longer, especially when she hadn't even through it through much. She hadn't spoken to her mom in about a week, a little before Toby had told her about Alison.

Spencer wasn't sure if their moms had talked but they all ended up calling last night. It was Emily's phone call that they were on edge about. Emily wouldn't dare mention the leg but they knew it would be hard to lie to her. In the end, Mrs. Fields didn't suspect anything.

Spencer looked down and toyed with her string bracelet. She gazed over at the microwaved where it showed the time-the girls had only left three minutes ago. She wasn't expecting him to come immediately but now she was getting impatient.

She hopped down from the counter and walked to the window facing the front of the house. She couldn't see any of the girls but that didn't surprise her. The area around their house looked worse than other places so Spencer assumed they went out a little further.

Spencer turned around and went back into the kitchen. She got a glass of water, filled it up, and drank it. How long it was going to take him?

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, causing her to jump slightly. It didn't take long at all to realize who it was.

Spencer laughed. "When did you get here?" She turned around to face him.

He searched her eyes. "Just now… Why?"

Spencer shrugged. She wondered how she didn't hear him come in.

Toby leaned in to peck her on the lips before releasing his arms and grabbing both of her hands instead.

"What's on the agenda for today?"

Spencer leaned back on her heels and forward again before answering. "Nothing," she mumbled. He laughed and their lips found each other.

After only a few seconds, Spencer's phone went off. She sighed and broke away to check it. It was only a notification telling her it was her grandma's birthday. She would call her later. She hit the "Read" option on the phone and it brought her to her calendar. The dates with events were black and today's date was blue. She was surprised to see an event so close to today, besides her grandma's birthday. It was eight days away. Curious, she clicked on it and her lips parted slightly.

It was the day they had to leave.

Had they really been here that long? She didn't even know what day of the week it was and looked to see it was Monday July 9th.

They only had a week left here.

"Toby…" She brought her eyes up to look at him slowly.

He gazed back at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Do you know I'm leaving in a week?

Her question was rhetorical but he answered anyway. "Yes." Toby looked down at their hands.

Spencer gave him a confused look. "You knew?"

Looking back up, he sighed. "I've been keeping track of when you leave for a while. I didn't know you weren't."

Spencer shook her head. "No, that's not the point. I'm leaving in a _week_."

He nodded mutely. His voice was soft. "I know."

Spencer wasn't sure what to say then. She had no idea they had been in Jamaica for three weeks already.

"Spencer." She looked back at him. "Don't spend the week worrying."

If she was going to do anything during the week, it would be worrying. She wondered why he wasn't so bothered.

When she opened her mouth, he cut her off. "It's not worth it. Do you want to look back and realize you did nothing? Have fun here, and I'm not just talking about with me. With your friends too. It's the end of your summer vacation. Let's just enjoy now, okay?"

Spencer didn't respond-she didn't want to respond. Trying to enjoy now, knowing they only have a week until they may never see each other for a while, if at all. She distinguished the thought of never seeing him again from her mind.

"You need to get home, Spencer. You're going to go home sometime. You have a future waiting for you there and I'm not going to keep you from any of it. Believe me, I wish I could just freeze time and we stay here forever but that's not going to happen. When it comes down to it, we have to face it. I am not going to be the one to keep you here. I am not going to be the one to hold you down."

Spencer caught a lump in her throat. She could feel her eyes misting over and she suddenly felt like an overemotional teenager. "You say it like you don't care," she whispered.

He brought one of his hands to cup her cheek. "What are you talking about? I know we've only known each other a few weeks but losing you is going to kill me."

He wrapped her in a strong embrace and she held on tightly. After he pulled back, he was suddenly very aware of how gloom the air was around them.

"We need to do something. Take your mind off things."

Nodding, she looked around the kitchen they were in. "Are you thirsty? We've got water or…" there was nothing to finish the sentence with. Water was the only thing they had right now.

"No, I'm good."

Spencer looked around some more for something to do and then sighed. "I'm sorry there's not much to do here."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Spencer and Toby were on the couch watching a black and white film that they weren't paying much attention to. Their eyes were on the screen but they weren't following the movie at all.

"Can I ask you something? Kind of…personal?" Spencer randomly asked.

He smirked. "Should I be scared?"

She ignored his question. "Have you ever been in love?"

The smirk left his face. He cleared his throat. "As in…?"

She looked away and felt like maybe she shouldn't be asking. "As in I think you're dodging the question." Spencer wondered if she was being too pushy.

"What do you mean? I'm not dodging it."

She gave him a short nod. "You just did. Twice."

"What about you? Have you ever been in love?"

Spencer brought her legs up on the cough and turned her body to face him. "I told you, I've never really been with anyone before you. And that's the third time, by the way."

She thought her answer was good but he saw through it. "See? You didn't answer either."

"I just didn't answer directly," she defended.

Toby put a hand on her leg. "If I had ever been in love before, I would've told you."

That was when Spencer realized they were probably not answering the question for the same reason. It was what she would've said, too. She wasn't answering because she has been in love. She loved _him_.

"Well then why wouldn't you just say so?" at this point, she was only teasing him.

"I think Jake and I are going to have to come home a day earlier than we thought."

The topic of what he wanted to change the subject to caught her off guard but she tried not to focus on what he had just said. "You couldn't have made it a little less obvious to change the subject?"

"I didn't change the subject."

She laughed at his ability to act so clueless. "Are you making things weird on purpose or is there really an elephant in the closet?"

"It's _not_ an elephant. It's nothing. What were we even talking about?"

Spencer remembered but she was done with that. She thought of something lighter to make conversation with. "Do you ever plan on going to college?"

Toby was relieved she was dropping it. "I used to think I would go. But now I don't think I should. I'm not really planning on anything right now. Honestly, I feel like because of the job I have now, I won't ever need to go. But that's going to come back and bite me one day, I'm sure."

That was unheard of in her family, of course. She always thought going to college would be the only thing allowing you to have any sort of future. And maybe that was still true in some sense but over the past few weeks, Spencer knew he had his life together. Especially considering what he had to go through with his mom and Jenna.

Spencer smiled. "You're so much more…independent than I would've ever guessed at first."

He shrugged. "It's just always been touch and go."

She raised her eyebrows. "_Always_?"

"Well I guess not so much anymore. It was hard at first. Jenna and everything." He searched her eyes. "But now I know what I want."

* * *

Three days later, there was a knock on the door. Spencer, being the closest to the door, went over to open it. She didn't know who it could be, though. When Toby came over, he never knocked and the other three girls were home watching TV in the living room.

It was almost nine in the evening so it was dark out. When Spencer opened it she was surprised to see it _was_ Toby. He was just here a couple of hours ago and it was later than it usually was when he was over.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Spencer stepped aside so he could get in. "This isn't a bad time, right?"

She put her hands in her back pockets. "Nope. It's a pretty lazy night."

"Good," he mumbled seductively. He pressed his lips on hers. She smiled against his mouth. She was feeling giddy and his surprise late night visit had everything to do with it.

After they broke apart she led him into the living room. The girls caught sight of him. They were all just as surprised as Spencer but didn't ask questions. Instead, they just greeted him.

He smiled back to them in response. When she stopped by the couch so the two of them could join, he pulled her with her to keep walking. He ended up taking her to the stairs, the other girls watching.

Hanna's face said it all and Spencer felt her cheeks warm. She didn't fight him when he dragged her up the stairs, down the hall, and into her room.

"You're very comfortable in this house," she teased.

He kissed her softly before dragging her to the bed. They sat down across from each other and Spencer waited. It was obvious he had something to say.

"So I know we've avoided talking about you leaving these last few days but I can't do that anymore."

Spencer swallowed. "Okay..."

Toby debated on what he should start with. Finally, he pulled out a small box from his back pocket and gave it to her.

Spencer left it in her hands. She didn't want to open it yet. She looked down at it and flipped it over so she wasn't looking at him. "Toby…"

His hands went around hers and the box. "Open it."

Spencer lifted the lid and looked inside. It was a necklace. It had a round, flat, silver charm on the end. She brushed her fingers over it.

"You might think it's cheesy but…" he trailed off.

She finally looked up at him. "I love it."

Toby reached over to flip it. On the back was his first name. She ran her fingers over the indention and she felt her nose start to itch, like she was about to cry. She knew why he gave it to her and was going to wear it every day.

She leaned over and threw her arms over him. He did the same and for once Spencer just let herself enjoy now. "I'm going to miss you." That was an understatement, though. It didn't even feel real. She just wished they didn't have to do this. She just wanted to stay here.

Toby looked at her face. "No matter what happens, I'm never going to forget this."

Spencer shook her head. "No. Nothing is going to happen."

He stroked her hair. "I just wanted you to know."

Toby knew this could be the end, as much as he didn't want to admit it. He had to know their future wasn't set in stone and it wasn't even close to definitely. He did believe that if you love something, you set it free and if it was meant to be, it'll come back. He just had to wait for her to come back to him once all of this was over.

"Well thank you," she said smiling.

Taking the necklace, he placed it around her neck and secured it there. She held a hand up to feel it again and her smile grew. He pulled her against his chest and they sat there for a long time until eventually they laid down in bed where she fell asleep in his arms

* * *

A/N This chapter was basically just fluff. I'll (try to) make the next ones have more to it. And I haven't been uploading as much as I would like but last week got randomly busy for me and I honestly have no idea why. A bunch of little things took over my life and as much as I want to say it's over, it's really not. Today is Tuesday and then (obviously) Wednesday is tomorrow (where I will have lots of time) but then on Thursday, I start school again. Boo. I'm pretty surprised by how fast my summer vacation went.

Also, in my head I'm thinking about three more chapters in the story but knowing me, that's easily going to change. Please please review. They make me so happy. Xo


	20. Chapter 20

A/N So you can hate me for jumping ahead but ohhh well….. I'm jumping to the night before they leave (they leave in the morning). Enjoy! Xx

* * *

Spencer definitely wasn't ready to leave. The other girls knew it would be hard but Spencer hadn't even packed yet. It was almost eleven that night and they had to wake up at five in the morning to go to the airport. They three girls knew that putting up with Spencer was going to be hectic so Aria volunteered to pack her things while Hanna and Emily stayed with her.

Aria was in Spencer's closet, putting her clothes up while Spencer, Hanna, and Emily were on Spencer's bed. Hanna and Emily were making small talk and Aria would occasionally jump in when she entered the room to get something as Spencer stayed silent, even though she was listening.

Spencer wasn't even on edge because they were leaving. It was because she wasn't sure if she would be able to see Toby again before they left. He was over most of the day today until she started arguing with him. Looking back, she knew it was over nothing. She was just under a lot of stress.

* * *

"_Why don't you just stay over?" Spencer asked him. They were in both in her room. "Under the circumstances, I don't really want you going back to your house."_

_Toby sighed. "Spencer, you're just going to make this harder, aren't you?"_

_She grew defensive. "What do you mean?"_

_He took one of her hands. "I mean that if I leave tonight, wouldn't the rest of the summer be…easier for you?"_

"_No…no, Toby. None of this is easy. All I asked_ _was that you stay over. I didn't think that would be a problem."_

_And it just got worse from there. Toby wasn't trying to turn it into something it wasn't but Spencer called him out on everything. She was stressed out and any ounce of doubt she heard from him was going to be enough to set her off. It wasn't even worth fighting about. Toby tried to talk sense into her but she pinned every word against him. Eventually, he just went downstairs to be with her friends and giver her time but she never came for him. After waiting for her to come down for almost four hours, he gave up and went home. He told Emily to call him when she cooled off._

_Spencer spent those four hours staring at the wall mostly. She had thought that he left her. She had no idea he had waited so long for her. After he left, the girls came up to help her pack and that's where they were now._

* * *

"So, Spencer, Emily has been practicing her 'normal' walk and she's got it down now," Hanna informed. She just wanted Spencer to talk to them in some way.

She nodded. "Good."

Spencer didn't give them enough answer to go from so they were down to silence. Aria walked out of the room to get some things from the bathroom. Spencer stared at her nails and Hanna and Emily watched Spencer.

"Are you going to talk to Toby?" Emily cautiously asked.

Spencer sighed. "Does he want me to?"

Emily's voice was coated with confusion. "Of course…what do you mean?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"You wasted a lot of time earlier," Hanna said. "He was with us more than he was with you."

Spencer finally looked up. "What?"

"He waited for you," Emily said simply.

Spencer thought about that. "So he was still here after…" They didn't respond, not that Spencer wanted one. "I did it again, didn't I? Wasted time."

Spencer might not have thought it was a big deal if this hadn't been the first time she'd done it or if it wasn't the last night she had here. And if she had just walked down the stairs sometime within those four hours then he might still be here. This was just her luck.

"I'm gonna go."

Spencer picked up her jacket and walked out the door, down the stairs, through the living room, and outside. She turned in the direction of his house and walked towards it. The breeze outside felt nice and she let it wash over her.

She knocked on his door and took a step back. She doubted he was asleep and hoped she was right.

Seconds later the door opened and she was standing in front of Jake. "Can I talk to Toby?" Unlike him at her house, she never just walked right in here. She wasn't close to Jake. She never had much reason to come over here anyways. Her house had always been where they met.

Jake shook his head. "He went out."

Spencer's hope shrunk and then dissolved completely. If he had gone out, he probably wouldn't have wanted her to talk to him.

She turned back around without a last word. "Not funny," she heard a second voice say. Spencer turned around. Toby was behind Jake, staring at the both of them.

Jake smirked. "Sorry."

Toby didn't look mad, though. His gaze traveled to Spencer. "You can come in."

After she stepped inside, Jake shut the door. "You're leaving tomorrow?"

Spencer nodded. "I am."

Jake wasn't sure what to say; he barely knew her. "Give Emily my best."

She smiled. "I will."

Finally, he turned and left. Spencer knew she was going to have to explain. "I am so sorry, Toby. Honestly, I don't even remember thinking earlier. I probably wasn't. And you should just know that I didn't mean anything I-"

"Spencer," he cut her off. "I get it. Don't apologize. I know I should've come back tonight but…" Truthfully, he never went back because Emily didn't call. He still wasn't going to not see her again, whether she called or not because he planned to say goodbye tomorrow at the airport. There was no way he would leave her like that.

She went in for a hug from him. It wasn't one that lasted long, though. It was just to show that nothing changed because of what happened.

Taking a step back to look at him, Spencer asked, "Would it be wrong of me to ask if you can come over?"

Toby let out a laugh and took her hand. "Not at all."

They walked outside and back into the house together. Hanna and Emily had apparently gotten bored in her room because she found them in Emily's room flipping through some magazines. Aria was with them too so Spencer guessed she had finished packing. She felt a little guilty that someone else did it for her.

Toby shut the door behind them and they went to lie on her bed.

"We have to wake up in five hours," she rolled her eyes. "An afternoon flight would've been nice."

"You'll sleep on the plane, won't you?"

She reached up to scratch her nose. "I don't know." She really wasn't sure how she would be getting any sleep after leaving. Boarding the plane was going to be one of the hardest things she would ever do.

"Spencer, listen to me. Once you get home, I'll still be here. So for the rest of the summer, I'm still going to be here. Just count on that. Because once I get home, a million possibilities could open up. You just have to know that for the rest of the summer, there isn't a chance of seeing each other. We can still talk as much as you like but it's not going to change the fact that I'm going to be thousands of miles away every day."

Spencer rolled over. "I already _know_ that."

He searched her eyes. "I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about this."

She grabbed onto one of his arms and pulled herself closer to him under the blankets. "Thank you."

Her alarm was already set. She stayed by him all night and into early morning. She didn't remember sleeping at all. Having her in his arms was enough to keep her awake through the night.

* * *

She apparently had fallen asleep sometime because her alarm woke the both of them up that next morning. She didn't get up. He didn't move either. Moving was going to be impossible for her. Toby was the day she was dreading.

After about ten minutes, she heard the faucet turn on in the bathroom. Someone was already up, brushing their teeth.

After another ten minutes, there was a knock at the door. "Get up, Spencer." It was Hanna.

She still didn't move.

"We have to leave in fifteen minutes so you better get ready. Don't make me get Aria get the boot." Spencer remembered the morning they were leaving to come here when Hanna wouldn't wake up. Aria had thrown a boot at Hanna's head.

She stayed in bed. She was fairly certain Aria wouldn't throw a boot at her but even if she did, Spencer didn't care. She leaned back into Toby even more so there was no space between the two of them. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Spencer…"

She shook her head. "No."

Even though she knew she was leaving today and everything about them was coming to a pause, it hadn't sunk in. She still hadn't grasped it yet. Right now, she was only still in bed because she knew that's what she wanted to do but in her mind, it was still just another day. Spencer wasn't bothered by the fact that it hadn't come to her senses yet; she didn't want it ever to so she stopped thinking about it. Now, all she needed to do was stay in bed.

"You're going to miss your flight."

"I know that."

Toby had to do exactly what he didn't want to do. Since Spencer wasn't going to come out of bed, he slid out, trying to lure her up too.

"Wait," she called.

"I'm not making you miss your flight, Spencer."

She sat up. "Well that doesn't matter to me."

"It may matter to your family. And friends."

"Well I guess we'll have to see."

She was going to argue with him the whole time. She was probably just stalling. Toby knew they wouldn't have time for this if Hanna had said they only had fifteen minutes.

"Spencer. Get up. Brush your teeth. Change your clothes. Put on shoes and go. Waiting until the last minute isn't going to make anything any easier."

Spencer still wouldn't get up, even though she was cold now that he had left. "I'm not waiting for anything."

"You're stalling," he pointed out.

There was another knock to interrupt whatever she was going to say. "Spencer!"

Spencer grew angry. "Give me a minute!" She looked back to him after a few seconds. "I'm _not_ stalling. I'm just tired."

He was about to argue but that would be what she wanted. "Get up," he tone grew soft. "For me?"

She shook her head slightly. "If I _stayed_, it would be for you," she mumbled.

He went over to sit by her. She was looking down, not meeting his gaze but he wouldn't speak until she had. Finally, she looked up. "You're wrong. Spencer, you need to go back home. Just like I need to, once my vacation is over. Please, if you do this for me, I _promise_ to see you again." He begged through his eyes.

A tear was collecting in one of her eyes. "You promise?"

He nodded. She leaned in. He wrapped his arms around her. "I promise."

* * *

An unwilling Spencer finally let go and went into the bathroom. After getting ready, the taxi had just arrived.

Spencer stared at the car in the driveway and turned to look at her friends. "You know Toby could've taken us, right?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "_You_ go with Toby. The three of us can manage without you for the ride."

Spencer grinned. Toby was at his house changing but he was going to meet them at the airport. Spencer ran outside and let herself in once she got to his house. He was about to head out the door at the same time Spencer opened it, causing them to run into each other.

"Sorry!" she said instinctively. She looked up at him and laughed. "Do you want company on the ride over there?"

He smiled. "Let's go."

* * *

Nothing was said at all the whole ride over. It was completely silent in the car. Spencer tried to enjoy what little time she had left with him but it was hard knowing that every second they were getting closer and closer to the airport.

Toby was also hating every second of the ride, too. He knew that he was going to be alone in the car once he came back. He was dropping Spencer off at the airport. After that, he wouldn't see her again in this country. He didn't even know when he would ever see her again at all. But he made a promise to her to see her someday again. He was going to do everything he could to keep that promise, too.

* * *

I actually didn't intend to leave it here but I did because I'm on my own time crunch. I know it's pretty short and (really) boring but bear with me. The ending is just amazing. I'll try to update ASAP. I hope you enjoyed xx. Please review. (I'm thinking two more chapters…)


	21. Chapter 21

A/N First, real quickly, I want to address a Guest that reviewed the last chapter. They said a few things that I just wanted to touch. (Btw, if you're reading this, I loved your review). First, they asked if Spencer and Toby did anything (you know… *wink wink* ;)). So I was thinking about whether I wanted them to do anything or not but when you look back to the show, they did it over an entire season after saying I love yous and in the story, they hadn't even said that yet so I decided to hold back on them doing anything. Another thing the Guest mentioned was that they wanted Toby to catch the next flight to Pennsylvania later and chase her. Okay, first of all, that's so beautiful. Second, I'm super angry at myself that I didn't make him do that in the story. I wish I thought of that before because honestly my Spoby feels would've gone right through the roof. So yeah. That's the best thing I've ever heard. Buuut….I have another endgame for them planned and I'm pretty proud of myself for thinking of it tbh. Either way, I hope the end of the story will do you justice.

And, I just came up with a new storyline for my next story. I won't be posting it anytime soon because I want to take a small break. So, basically this paragraph is just me getting my excitement out and if you don't care than that's awesome. Ignore this, I don't care but I like to talk and since I can't do that through a computer, I'm going to "talk" right now ;) haha I find myself hilarious sometimes. (No that really wasn't funny). Anywhoo…I have no idea where I came up with this idea. Honestly even to this day, I don't remember how I came up with the idea of Just A Summer Romance. It just randomly hit me all of a sudden. It came out of nowhere. Same with my new story. (See, I just babble way too much so I'm sorry)

One more thing to add! I have officially started school and it's killing me already. I'm still going to make special time to write this though (aka I'll stay up until two in the morning writing) (Night is my favorite time to write). Okay, sorry this was a pretty long Author's Note (the longest I've ever had). I was just in the mood to rant. Back to the story. Also, this is a pretty long chapter so maybe that makes up for my absence. Okay NOW onto the story *drum roll*

* * *

The taxi was in front of Toby the whole time so he just followed it. But he had to go his own way once the cab stopped and dropped off the girls. Both Toby and Spencer waited behind the car for the girls to take the luggage out of the trunk. Toby pulled into the parking lot after that and they both got out. Her luggage was with her friends. All she had was her purse.

Toby walked her in the doors to meet her friends. None of them barely noticed their presence when Spencer and Toby walked up. Emily was rummaging through her bag, looking for something. Hanna had just walked away to use the bathroom and Aria was talking on her phone.

"Where are the tickets?" Spencer asked.

"That's what I'm looking for," Emily muttered.

She and Toby went over to a small couch that was unoccupied. As they had done in the car, they never spoke. Spencer was afraid to talk to him and Toby was only being quiet because he didn't want to say the wrong thing.

After a few minutes the girls made their way over to the two of them. "Spencer…the plane takes off in an hour. We should probably go." Spencer saw the sadness in Aria's eyes but she didn't want to hear it.

"But it's still an hour," she protested.

Emily's eyes slid over to the line to check in and hand over your bags. "It's a long line."

"But-"

"Spencer." Emily hated seeing her like this. She wouldn't be so pushy towards her if Hanna and Aria hadn't told her to be the one to make her move. They said it would be easier if Emily was the bad one here, forcing Spencer to let him go. Emily was closer to Toby. If someone like Hanna had done it, Spencer might get mad. Emily hated doing this, knowing Spencer was fragile right now her friends were right and it was better than the alternative.

"We need to go."

Spencer looked up at Toby. "Will you stay?"

Toby couldn't be sure if her words had a double meaning or not. "Until I can't go any further." They weren't going to let him go through security since he wasn't flying. They would have to say goodbye there.

Spencer finally got up. Toby was going to be the only one today that would get her to go anywhere and they all knew it. Once he left, the other girls weren't sure what they were going to do with her. Emily didn't need to be hard on her; Toby just needed to tell her what to do and she would do it.

They waited in the everlasting line for a while. Emily, Aria, and Hanna frequently checked their watches, afraid to miss the flight. Spencer wasn't even registering that they could miss the flight. All she knew was that the line was going by too fast.

Finally, when they got up there, Aria took over. The other girls stayed silent as they let Aria do the talking. After getting past that, they knew the next step. Security.

Normally, when Spencer had to fly, she always had plenty of time to get something to eat or use the restroom but because she had gotten out of bed late, there was no time. They all went straight to the security line.

Once they approached it, Toby was guessing they wouldn't let him very far in line. He was going to have to leave soon. Of course, he could watch her go through and stay there until he truly couldn't see her anymore but that might make things worse for her.

Toby stopped walking right when they got in line. The other girls stopped too. Spencer understood why he had to stop; he had to leave now.

Before missing the chance, Emily went over to give Toby a hug. Spencer had to take a few steps away from them so she wasn't in their embrace too.

Toby held onto her tightly. He didn't even want to think about what saying goodbye to Spencer was going to be like.

Emily let go eventually. "I'll miss you."

"Emily…"

She smiled and turned to get in line with the other girls. Spencer would be further in line than them but she would catch up after going through security.

Spencer looked back at him. She didn't want to do this. She wanted to go back. She didn't want all of this to be so complicated. She didn't want to live thousands of miles away from him. Deep down, she knew she should wish she never met him. But every other ounce she had inside of her needed him with her all the time. She didn't want to leave.

Spencer didn't know what to do now or how much time she had before she needed to get in line. He pulled her into a hug. She wished she could just stay there. His arms wrapped around her tightly. Just like they always did. He was her safe place to land.

Pulling away, he tilted her chin up to look at him. "Spencer…" His voice was barely audible.

Spencer shook her head. "No. I don't want to go." She felt tears sting her eyes. She kept blinking to keep them from sliding down.

His arms enveloped her once more but they didn't stay like that for long. Over her shoulder, he took note of the other girls watching them. They were also almost in the front of the line. Spencer had to go.

He rubbed his hands on her arms. A shiver shot down her spine. She wiped an escaped tear from one of her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Why does it have to be like this?"

Her words killed him. He would do anything right now. But he also knew that when it really came down to it, _he couldn't_ do anything. Not yet. If he were to ever see her again, it couldn't be now. He needed to let her go. But he would come back. One day.

He wiped another one of her tears away with his thumb. "This isn't goodbye. You know that?"

Spencer nodded. She reached up to touch her necklace. "I'm going to miss you." She offered him a small smile. It took everything she had to keep it there. Toby could see that too.

He kissed the crown of her head. "You need to go."

Toby let go of her arm. Now there wasn't any physical contact between them. Neither of them liked that. But she had to go. And Toby needed to be the one to keep it together.

Spencer didn't know if turning and walking the other way would be what she should do, though it obviously wasn't what she _wanted_ to do. For now she stayed where she was. He really was going to be the one to push her.

So that was why Toby turned her around and walked with her to the line. Once she was in, he backed away slightly. She was watching him the whole time.

Almost immediately, the line moved up and more people got behind her. He watched her take small steps up, further away from him. She was turned away though. Toby remembered thinking that he was going to leave once she was off his hands but now, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Spencer made the mistake of looking back to see if he was still there. Even now, under the circumstances, her heart still fluttered when she saw him. They made eye contact but Spencer didn't have much of an expression on her face. She only wanted to see him as long as she possibly could.

Which apparently wasn't too long. A woman behind her tapped her on the shoulder. Spencer broke gaze to look at the woman. She pointed forward and Spencer saw a gap between her and the family in front of her. She stepped up to move the line along. When she turned back behind her, Toby was gone.

* * *

Toby took the opportunity of her turning around to get out of her sight. He wasn't going to leave-not yet. But the way they were staring at each other earlier was too painful. Once Spencer turned around, he went around to the side of the line. He figured he would just blend in with all the people. He wouldn't leave though until she was with her friends, and gone.

He watched her look around the room for him until the same woman had to impatiently tell her to move up once again. After that, she quit looking. He thought she would think that he had left, and she may never know the truth, but he didn't really care what she thought; as long as he could still see her.

She went through the motions of security but her eyes were glazed and she wasn't really _seeing_ anything. Toby spotted her friends waiting for her to finish up. When she finally did, they gave her sympathetic looks. They also said a few words but, of course, Toby couldn't hear.

Even when she was with her friends, she wasn't completely tuned in around her. Her slow pace was slowing them down. At first, her friends tried to stay behind with her but they must be in a hurry. Eventually, they had to pull Spencer along. They were getting to the point where Toby couldn't see them anymore. After they rounded a corner, he lost sight of them completely.

Toby looked around him. He was alone. For the rest of his vacation, she wouldn't be there.

* * *

Spencer sat down in a chair as she waited for them to start boarding the plane. Emily was sitting with her. Spencer expected Emily to be the one by her side but that didn't make it much better. She leaned against Emily as they waited but the whole time she imagined it was Toby. She already missed him. But he had promised to see her again someday and she trusted him. They would see each other again. It was just the "when" that was killing her. It could be once he got back home. It could be in two years. Spencer wouldn't know.

Spencer didn't know the flight number, nor did she know how many flights they were going on. They could come straight to Philadelphia or they could be taking multiple smaller flights. Spencer wanted the former option. She didn't want to do anything right now so staying on a never-ending flight would be good enough.

Nothing was said between the four of them as they waited. Finally, after about ten minutes, they were allowed to board the plane. The girls all got up, got in line, handed the woman their ticket, and went through the small hallway that leads them to the plane.

Once they got in and took their seats, Spencer immediately leaned back on Emily's shoulder. Emily tiled her head so it rested on Spencer's. Hanna and Aria were sitting across from them. They didn't do much at first. They tried not to make eye contact with Spencer so they looked anywhere else.

* * *

Spencer fell asleep sometime during the flight. It was peaceful. She didn't have any dreams. When she woke up, everyone else was awake. She pretended to still be sleeping, though. They were speaking loud enough so Spencer was able to hear the words.

"She's strong," Spencer caught Aria say. "Now might me messy but eventually she'll be fine."

"Exactly," Hanna agreed. "They've know each other, what? Three weeks? Somebody in Rosewood would be happy to take his place. It was just a summer romance. And nothing comes from those. I mean, it was nice she found someone, seeing as her high school years were pretty lonely but now she can focus on someone else."

Silence fell upon the girls. It wasn't long, but long enough for Spencer to wonder if they had dropped the subject. Finally, Emily spoke up. "You two could be a little more sensitive. You wouldn't be saying this if Toby lived near us."

"But he doesn't," Hanna argued. "And it's not like I'm telling her they never had a chance. She's not even listening right now. But we just have to look at the facts. Toby is not going to come to Rosewood just to be with a girl he knew a few weeks. That only happens in movies. He'll go back home, find someone new; Spencer will be waiting and just be disappointed in the end. Look, it's not worth her hurting right now. I get that she misses him but I just think the best thing to do would be to help her move on."

Spencer wanted to hear what they had to say to that but the pilot came over the speaker. "Sorry for the slight delay but we will be arriving in Philadelphia in about twenty minutes." He clicked off.

Spencer was surprised she had actually been asleep that long. She had missed most of the almost-ten-hour flight. So it had to be about five in the evening by now. She imagined her parents waiting. Maybe Caleb and Ezra were there too, Spencer had no idea.

She waited a couple more minutes before opening her eyes. Hanna saw her first and smiled. "Well good morning."

Because Spencer had been awake a while, she shouldn't be confused or in a daze but suddenly she was. She sat up, off of Emily's shoulder. "Morning?"

Aria answered. "She was kidding. Anyway, we're landing soon."

Spencer nodded. "I heard."

Spencer raised her arms to gather her hair up but something got caught. It was her necklace. Sleeping must've tangled it. The charm was on the back of her neck and the chain was grabbing onto her throat. She adjusted it back but left her hand on it. The girls were watching her. Spencer didn't think they knew where it came from but the answer wouldn't be hard to guess.

"I need to get up. This is so uncomfortable," Hanna squirmed.

The seatbelt light switched on, just after Hanna said that. "Too late now," Emily muttered.

Hanna slouched in her seat. Spencer felt the plane start to angle down.

"Do you have any more magazines?" Spencer asked Aria. A fashion magazine was open in her lap but Spencer never saw Aria look down at it at all since she opened her eyes.

Aria dug around in her bag. It was on the floor under her seat. She pulled one out. "Here." She handed it to Spencer. She took it. Truthfully, Spencer wasn't looking to read it. She only wanted something to do so her friends would stop staring at her. And it worked, too. They jumped into a subject that had nothing to do with her or the vacation while Spencer pretended to read and flip through the pages.

And then that's the way it was for the rest of the flight. Even once the plane stopped and they had to wait. Spencer slowly flipped through the pages and her friends kept up a steady conversation. None of them, except Aria, had any carry-ons so they managed to get off the lane pretty easily. Spencer was actually dreading seeing everyone again. Her family had no idea she was even seeing someone. Plus, she didn't want to see Hanna or Aria's love fest they would have if Caleb or Ezra even came.

Spencer and Emily were the firsts of the girls to emerge and join the crowd that had already gotten off the plane. Both of their eyes gazed around the crowd, also waiting for someone. The first person she spotted was her mom. Spencer walked away from her friends to join her mother. They were lost in a short embrace for a couple of moments

"You got pretty tan," Mrs. Hastings commented.

Spencer looked doubtful. "Really?"

Her mom shrugged. "You probably wouldn't notice. Did you girls have fun?"

Spencer nodded. "Yep."

She looked away to see her friends. Emily's mom apparently hadn't shown up so she was over talking with Hanna and Mrs. Marin. Aria was with her parents, also. Caleb and Ezra hadn't come. Spencer was so grateful for that. She wouldn't have been able to handle seeing them happy, even if that sounded insincere.

"Where's dad?" Spencer turned back to her mother to ask. She was typing on her phone and didn't look up when she answered.

"Uh, he's still home. You'll see him when we get back."

She dropped her phone after a few minutes. "Okay, let's go get your things."

Spencer and her mom joined her other friends. They walked to the baggage claim together but no one spoke. When the bags rolled down the conveyor belt, they waited for theirs. Once getting all of them, the girls went with their own parents, Emily joining Hanna.

Spencer and Veronica drove back to Rosewood in silence. The girls were going to back their own house. Spencer made sure to see them tomorrow. She didn't want to sulk in front of them. After what she heard them say on the airplane, she knew they wouldn't want to hear it, anyway.

Spencer wished to see Toby again. She missed him. She wondered if she should reach out to him. She should at least tell him that they landed.

"So what did you girls do over there?" Her mom broke Spencer from her thoughts. Spencer held off on calling him for now.

"Uh…" Spencer had to think of something to tell her mom. The last half wasn't too exciting because of the storm and then Emily's leg. "We went swimming a lot," the last part was a lie. They only went swimming a few times. "We also rented a boat for the day." Another lie. They never actually _rented_ it, plus they stayed overnight.

Mrs. Hastings asked a few more general questions about that summer but then the car fell silent. She figured Hanna and Aria's mom would be asking tons of questions, wanting their daughters to relive the trip.

But Spencer was glad her mom didn't press for anything. It gave Spencer a lot of time to think. She wasn't sure if having too much time would be a bad thing. Maybe too much free time for her mind to scatter would help. But whether it would or wouldn't, she knew he would always be somewhere on her mind.

And she would always be somewhere on his mind.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N So I got a lot of people asking if there will be a sequel. I'm sorry I never clarified the right way. The story isn't over. There's still going to be a couple more chapters. So just hang tight with me as I wrap it up and I will definitely tell you when the last chapter is. Also, sorry I kinda jump around in this chapter. I do skip a little randomly. And this chapter is so long. I don't even know how it got to be this long. I was writing page 5 and suddenly I was on 9. So I'm just warning you (because usually my chapters are much shorter).Enjoy!

* * *

For the rest of summer, Spencer was too busy with getting ready for college to think about much. Sometimes she would be with her friends as they helped each other pack. Her friends made it easy for her. The completely avoided the subject, which, oddly enough, was helping Spencer. Talking with them about it might've made things harder for her. They were already hard enough.

It was when she was alone in bed that was the worst. Her mind always wandered to the memories from the summer. At first, it was extremely hard. But then, the memories because good ones. They weren't painful because he wasn't with her now. They were just _good_. She remembered the fun they had, mainly on the boat. It was like remembering the things you did with your childhood friend that had to move away and you never saw again.

And that's where the difference was. Even though she didn't miss him as much, though she thought about him every day and wanted him here, she still had faith she would see him again.

As far as communication, there wasn't much. She had called him when she got home the day she got back but he never answered. She left him a text instead. He didn't answer for another hour, though. She couldn't say she was surprised. He did leave her at the airport. But she couldn't hold that against him.

Spencer had wanted to talk to him every day that summer but after it had taken him over an hour to respond to a text she thought he was awaiting, she wasn't sure anymore if he wanted to talk to her. She decided to let him reach out first, which he only did once. It was a couple of weeks after she got back home. That was when the pain was _finally_ starting to numb a bit. He texted, asking her how she was doing. She said she was fine. She just didn't know what else to say.

After she sent the message, she was surprised to see him calling. It took her a few rings to decide, but she finally answered.

They weren't sure what to say at first. Spencer was still a little upset that he never reached out sooner. But, eventually, their conversation because natural. She was laughing. They were talking all evening. It was really late when he finally said he had to go. Spencer hadn't heard from him since.

Now, Spencer was opening the door to the dorm room that Spencer, Aria, and Hanna would share. The four girls were all together, even though Emily wouldn't be staying there.

They had been in here a few times to put their stuff up and away. Emily was leaving in a couple of days. The girls were just here so they could have somewhere to hang out.

"Can you believe we're about to start school? This summer went by so fast," Hanna said.

They all took a seat on the beds. Hanna and Spencer were sitting on one and Aria and Emily were across from them on the bed right by it.

"Really?" Spencer asked, astonished. The summer seemed to drag on for her.

"Well, I mean, with everything going on. Getting ready for college…" Hanna trailed off.

Emily's phone started ringing. She looked at it as the girls watched. Looking back up, she said, "I need to take this. It's my mom."

She opened the door to the hallway, leaving the three there alone.

Back in the hallway, Emily answered the call. "Toby now isn't the best time."

His slightly muffled voice came on the other end. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to check up on you."

"You mean Spencer?"

She heard Toby sigh. "_And_ you."

Emily rolled her eyes. "We're both fine."

There was a short pause. "Is she…?"

Emily had to think for a moment to understand what he was getting at. "Is she seeing anyone? No, why would you even think that?"

Toby sighed. "I don't know. She hasn't called me in a while."

"Wait. Toby, you didn't actually _believe_ she would already be with someone else, did you?"

"No! Like I said, she was just keeping some distance between me. I wasn't sure why."

"Well can I give you some advice? _You_ call _her_. Be a man."

Toby smiled on the other end. He felt bad about making the phone call all about Spencer. "How are you doing?"

Emily laughed. "I'm good. I need to get back though. They think I'm talking to my mom."

Toby paused. "Spencer is with you now?"

Emily nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "We all are."

"Okay. I'll let you go."

They said a few more goodbyes. Toby made her promise she wouldn't tell Spencer she spoke with Toby. Emily went back into the room. None of the girls asked any questions. They just continued talking. Emily was happy, knowing, thanks to her, Toby would be calling her later.

* * *

A few days later, Spencer walked into her living room, keys in hand. She had just spent hours at the mall with her friends-again. They had wanted to spend as much time as possible with Emily before she left. None of them-even Hanna-bought much today. It was mostly window shopping. Spencer wasn't in the mood to shop anyway. Basically ever since they first arrived, she couldn't wait to go home and be alone.

What made it even worse for her was when Emily asked if she had talked to Toby recently. Spencer thought they were all not going to talk about him and Emily's question definitely took her by surprise. Emily looked upset when Spencer skeptically replied saying she hadn't.

Spencer looked around the kitchen, hoping not to run into her parents. She had a long day and just wanted to go up to her room. It was only eight in the evening. She knew they would still be awake.

But, just as her luck would have it, Spencer's dad came down the stairs. "Hey, Spence," he greeted. "Did you just get home?"

Spencer nodded. "Yeah, I did but I'm really tired…" she jutted her thumb in the direction of the stairs.

Her father held his hands up. "I'll let you go. Did you get something to eat?"

Truth was, she hadn't eaten much since Emily brought up Toby. Just hearing his name brought back all sorts of feelings. She thought she was doing pretty well recently but her walls came down today and it took all she had to keep it together. She just wanted time alone.

"Uh, yeah," she lied.

Once she was sure Mr. Hastings wasn't going to reply, she ran up the stairs. Shutting the door, she walked over to her bed and collapsed. She wrapped her arms around the pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

It only took approximately six seconds for her phone to start vibrating. Spencer groaned in frustration. She just wanted to be _alone_.

Spencer took deep breaths through her nose to calm her, waiting for the ringing to stop. She let out a sigh once it did but immediately went off again. She realized whoever it was probably really needed to talk to her.

Sighing again, Spencer pulled her phone out from her pocket and looked at the Caller I.D.

It was Toby.

Without any hesitation, she answered it. "Toby?"

Back in Toby's apartment, he was grinning. He needed to hear her voice. "I just needed to talk to you."

She felt butterflies when he spoke. Spencer was grinning, too. Her day was really shaping up. "I know. Me too. I just didn't…" Spencer was having the same thought as him; she wondered if he was seeing anybody.

"How are you?" Toby mentally kicked himself for always asking the same question.

She didn't know how to answer that one. "Did you call just to small talk?"

The question took him by surprise. "Um…"

Spencer laughed slightly. "You don't have to answer that." She looked down and played with her shoelace.

"No. I do." Toby paused, but it was mostly to separate his thoughts. "I called because I missed you. And I'm sorry I didn't call sooner."

Spencer curled her toes. She felt like a sappy teenager in love. Even though she kinda was. She got up from the bed to switch the light off. After doing that, she flipped the lamp light on. She got back in bed again before responding. "I missed you, too."

There was silence on both ends. Spencer didn't mind it much. She just liked knowing that he was on the other end. She still didn't think this was enough. She wanted to touch him. She wanted him to hold her.

Spencer broke the silence. "Toby…you said we would see each other again." She paused to let her voice have a break. She knew if she continued it was going to crack. "I just…this summer I thought that would be enough…to get me through." Another pause. "But it's not." Her voice was barely audible. She wasn't one hundred percent sure he heard the last part.

Toby would've done anything to comfort her. He needed to be there by her right now more than anything else on this earth. And there was nothing he could do. The only comforting that could be done were his words.

"Spencer…" he whispered. What could he say? He couldn't make any more promises. He couldn't say he was on his way over. He couldn't say when he could come to her. Nothing was set in stone right now and it was killing him.

"Listen, Spencer. You'll be okay. I promise. It's okay. And I'm here to talk _anytime_. Day or night. I'll listen."

Spencer touched her necklace. "Well yeah but can you _be there_ for me?"

"That's not fair."

"Neither is this," she protested.

Toby leaned back. "Spencer, I'm not going to argue. Just call me every day. Or twice a day. I really don't care. But things will get better."

"I just miss you."

Toby closed his eyes. "I know."

* * *

Spencer did what he said for a while. She called him sometimes. He would call her sometimes. They talked on the phone for a few weeks. Even once she started college she started making time for him. They didn't talk every day but it was enough. For now, Spencer was hearing his voice all the time and she was okay with that. She accepted that.

But eventually, Spencer was getting slammed with homework. Toby was working overtime at his job to get some extra money. He needed it because Jake had moved out. He was now paying rent by himself. Spencer missed talking to him but was lucky there were so many distractions to keep her mind busy.

The last time they talked was only for a few short minutes two weeks ago. Spencer was calling him now but he wasn't answering. She tossed her phone across her bed in frustration.

"No answer?" Aria asked. She had a basket of laundry in her hands.

Spencer didn't answer. She didn't need to. They were on Thanksgiving break now. Emily was coming over, back from college for the week. Spencer was really looking forward to come back. Hanna went to the airport to pick up Caleb. He just got back from visiting his mom.

Spencer looked up at Aria. "When are you seeing your parents?"

Aria eyeballed her. "It's not like we live far away."

Spencer gave Aria a look. They both laughed. "I'm going over tomorrow."

Spencer glanced at her watch. "Okay, Emily is going to be here in half an hour. Where is Hanna?"

Aria smirked. "Be patient. She probably got held up. I mean, she hasn't seen Caleb in oh, so long," she teased.

Spencer opened her mouth, a hint of smile playing around her lips. "_Not_ funny." Spencer was actually faking the smile. She just wanted them to have a relaxed time. Caleb had only been gone three days and here Aria was, joking about the two of them being away from each other for "too long" when she hadn't seen Toby in months.

But Aria was her best friend. She saw through it. "You're right. I'm sorry." Aria grabbed Spencer's arm and pulled her up from the bed. "We are _not_ throwing you a pity party. So move it."

"Fine," Spencer sighed.

Aria giggled. A few moments later, Hanna walked through the door. "Okay. We're all set," she looked at Aria.

"Set for what?' Spencer asked.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Mind your own beeswax."

Spencer was suddenly intrigued. "No, tell me."

Hanna shook her head and smirked. "I want to see you beg."

Spencer looked at Aria. "What?"

Aria shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Let's go wait for Emily outside."

Spencer looked from the two of them. "But it's cold…"

Hanna rolled her eyes again. "Oh, please. If the Indians could handle it during the Ice Age, you'll be able to with a jacket for like, ten minutes."

Spencer blinked. "I'm sorry, what?" Hanna needed to brush up on her history, it seemed.

Aria laughed but was interrupted with a knock at the door. They all turned towards it but it opened before they had the chance to answer. But then Spencer remembered they had given Emily a spare key.

Emily walked in the door with a few suitcases. The girls ran over to their best friend. They were pulled into a group hug. Emily pulled back, though because her bags were getting in the way. Once she set them down on Aria's bed, she embraced them again individually.

"I missed you so much," she said.

After a few more minutes of the initial welcome backs, they were sitting on the beds, just talking. They settled into easy conversation quickly. Emily didn't look any different and they had all been in this room together a few times before so it didn't seem like nothing changed.

After a while, the air got sticky. "Spencer, have you talked with Toby?" Emily wondered.

Spencer looked down and played with the hem on her jeans. Spencer thought Emily could've at least tried to dance around the subject a little bit more cautiously. Silence hung in the air. Spencer expected Aria or Hanna to speak up but neither did.

Spencer tried to put on a light face. "Come on. We don't have to talk about this. You _just_ got back. Let's go out to dinner or something."

Hanna shook her head. "I don't want to go out."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Well let's let Emily pick."

Emily smiled. "It's fine. We don't have to ignore the subject. I was just wondering because I've talked to him. We don't talk about you, though."

Spencer let her face drop. She had no idea that Emily had been talking to him. And recently, apparently. Spencer thought he had been too busy. She grit her teeth. "I didn't know that."

Emily nodded. "It's not like we talk _all the time_ but enough."

Why wasn't Aria or Hanna jumping in? They had watched her these past few months. They knew it hurt her. But they weren't saying anything.

Emily kept speaking, to fill in Spencer's silence. "I'm surprised he hasn't told you we talked."

"Well _I'm_ surprised _you_ didn't tell me," she snapped.

Emily didn't seem to catch onto Spencer's sour mood, or she was doing this on purpose. "I know. Sorry. Actually, we should all eat outside. It's really not that cold."

Hanna raised her eyebrows. "We don't have anything _to_ eat."

"Where would we eat?" Aria asked.

Yeah, _now_ they were joining conversation.

Emily looked at Hanna. "Did the grocery stores go out of business while I was away? We can get something there. And do you guys remember when Ali would take us to that place in the park? It was that patch of grass surrounded by trees and she always said there was no way anybody would see us. Let's just go there. That was fun."

Spencer hadn't thought of that place in years and it suddenly sparked many memories. Ali would take them there on a Sunday afternoon or a Friday night when they didn't have plans. It was just this circle of land and trees were built up all around it as walls. They felt isolated from the world when they were in there. It was also pretty far away from where people usually go, too.

Aria shrugged. "That's fine. Should we all go to the store or…?"

Hanna looked around. "You and I can go. We can meet Emily and Spencer there later."

After a few more minutes, the girls set out and parted. Hanna and Aria went in Hanna's car, on their way to get some food. Spencer and Emily had decided on going in the same car, too.

Once they got in, the tension rose. Even Emily, who didn't have a problem with going off about Toby, knew what she did. Spencer was going to try and forget it, though. Emily was only here for a week, after all.

Spencer cleared her throat. "So when are you seeing your mom?"

Emily picked at her nails. "Tomorrow. I'll probably have lunch with her, come back with you guys, and then just move to her house tomorrow night."

Spencer nodded, keeping her eyes trained on the road. "So…have you met anyone…?" Spencer raised her eyebrows, to which Emily laughed at.

"No. I haven't. But I'm just not looking. What about you?"

With the things Emily said earlier, Spencer should've known asking about _Emily's_ status would turn into hers. She clutched the steering wheel. She side glanced at her. "Emily…are you really going to talk about this?"

Emily shrugged. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know it's just…you're being…I don't know. You didn't even _check_ to see if Toby and I were still in contact. Which, we aren't, by the way."

Emily showed a small smile. "I know, actually."

Great. So Emily was doing this on purpose. Spencer sighed. "And why would you do that?"

"Come _on_, Spencer. Lighten up."

"So you _aren't_ talking with him?"

Emily grinned. "I am." Spencer was about to respond but Emily cut in. "Spencer, you just missed the turn," she grumbled.

Spencer glanced in the rearview mirror. "No I didn't. It's up here."

She turned on her turning signal. "We're taking the long way. I _told_ you that."

Spencer laughed. "No you didn't."

To save Emily from having a fit, Spencer just parked right where she was. There weren't a lot of cars around. "There. Now we can take the _medium_ way," she mocked.

Spencer got out of the car and Emily was quick to follow. Just as Spencer rounded the car to join her, Emily pulled out her phone. Spencer didn't hear it so she assumed it was just on vibrate. Emily glanced at it and looked to Spencer. "I have to take this. You can just go on, though. This might take a while."

Spencer tried to sneak a peek at her phone. "Who is it?"

She shook her head. "I'll tell you later. Just go."

Spencer turned and went off walking in the opposite direction without another question. There was a path that you had to walk on for a while. About halfway to the spot they always go to, there was a pond. Spencer used to go to the pond and sit on the bench for a while. It was her escape.

She started to immediately get cold. A jacket would've been nice, because it was late November, but for now she would just have to bear it. It wasn't so cold that she couldn't feel her fingers, though.

The whole time she was walking, she was fiddling with her necklace. She never took it off anymore. When she did, it was only to look at the inscription on the back. Spencer felt for it with her thumb just now. She had grown used to the engravings. She could feel the T and where it started and stopped.

Once she came close to the pond, she pulled out her phone. She had been walking for about fifteen minutes. Spencer sighed and put it back in her pocket.

There was a bridge that she would pass. She wouldn't cross; just pass. It went over the water. She stared down the bridge. She knew it was very old. She really didn't trust it too well. It was made of wood and some of the pieces were missing. She never really saw people walk over it, either. They must know how old it was.

It wasn't late but because it was November, it was darker than usual. She could still see just fine-it was only five-thirty. But she wouldn't be able to see anything clearly from the over the bridge.

That's why she was surprised to see somebody over on the other side of the pond. She was starting to worry about Emily at this point so she didn't pay much attention to the person over there.

She was getting closer to the bridge, which she would ultimately pass. Maybe Emily was on her way over but didn't feel the need to catch up to her. Should she stop and wait? Just go back? The man waved, which she saw out of the corner of her eye, breaking her from her thoughts.

She finally looked up at him to wave back. But then she stopped walking all together.

"Toby?"

* * *

A/N (I actually hate to make an Authors Note here but I'm going to do it anyway.) So please don't hate Emily for this chapter. She had motives. And I just really love the next chapter. So much. Spoby is the best. So review, which may motivate me to write more because I'm not sure how much time I'll have with school and life. So if you review, I'll make more time and update faster. Hope you enjoyed! Xx


	23. Chapter 23

Spencer couldn't be sure. He was pretty far from her and it was getting darker by the minute. He didn't seem to have heard her when she said his name, or he would've reacted. Maybe now she was just _thinking_ she saw him. She missed him so much, she wouldn't be surprised.

She still didn't move, though. She couldn't be completely sure but she thought he was still looking at her. He was definitely still facing her.

"Spencer!" she heard him call.

And then she knew.

She didn't know how, but he was here. He was standing right in front of her. Without a second hesitation, she pushed her legs and started toward him. She wasn't even scared to go over the bridge that was sure to collapse any time now. But, luckily, once she did cross it, nothing happened. She just kept on making her way towards him.

Once she was close enough, he opened his arms out for her. Her body crashed into his. She was in his arms. She was no longer cold. She was safe.

His hand cupped her head. The other was around her waist. After staying like that for a while, Toby pulled away to look at her. Spencer's eyes were glassy because of how happy she was.

"H-how are you here? Why are you here? When are you leaving?" Spencer didn't understand _anything_ at the moment. He was supposed to be back home. They hadn't spoken in so long.

Toby laughed. "I'll explain later." Their lips finally connected. Electricity ran through her entire body. She thought she knew how much she had missed him but with them actually being together again, she was way off. She had missed him so much more now. This was reminding her and telling her how much time they didn't have together this past semester.

Pulling away once again, Toby led her to the bench that they were nearby. She settled against his chest. He stroked her hair. "I missed you."

Spencer laughed. Laughing was all she wanted to do right now. She was so happy she was bursting at the seams. "How did you get here?"

"A plane," he said simply.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Is that all you're going to say?"

Toby grinned. "Emily and I have been talking pretty much this whole time." Yeah, she knew _that_. Spencer felt him shrug. "I asked her about you-after we stopped talking. You became the usual thread running through the conversation. Of course, she wasn't seeing you but Emily said she asked Aria and Hanna frequently." He sighed. "So Hanna and Caleb talked. He managed to get me a job here."

Spencer sat up to look at him. "A job? _Here_?"

Toby smiled. "I'm not finished." The light never left Spencer's eyes but she did end up leaning back into him. He continued. "So Hanna talked to Emily. Emily talked to me. They pulled a few strings and now I'll be working here until next May. I had to quit my old one but this one pays better. Plus, you're here." Spencer blushed. She didn't want there to be any separation between them so she scooted even closer. Now she was almost on his lap. Her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Wait," she said. "You left your friends. Your family. Your old job. Just to be with me?"

He laced his fingers through hers. "It may be the stupidest thing I've ever done." He nuzzled her ear. "Or the smartest."

Spencer grinned, shaking her head. "I just…can't believe you left everything. I mean, I would understand a _visit_ but…"

"Well, it's like I said. Besides, this might be good for _me_, too. Working in different places. Moving around."

"You'd move around?" she asked.

He tightened his grip on her. "Let's just focus on now. I have months here before we have to do anything."

Spencer closed her eyes. Worrying now would be the worst thing for her to do. She just listened to his heartbeat through his shirt and allowed his body heat to wash over her. Spencer opened her eyes and let out a laugh.

"What?" Toby murmured.

She grinned. "You're here."

* * *

They stayed wrapped in each other's arms for a while. When it was noticeably getting dark, Toby spoke up. "We should go back."

Spencer nodded. "Where are you staying?"

He grinned. "I meant back to your friends."

Spencer widened her eyes. "They're still _here_?" Spencer hadn't realized it until now. They had planned this. Emily pretending to have a phone call so Spencer would go on by herself. Aria and Hanna staying behind. Coming to the park for a picnic. It was all just to lure her here.

He chuckled and pulled her up. They walked back over the bridge together. Her arms were around his waist and he was rubbing her arm, keeping her from getting too cold. He guided her in the direction of where Spencer had parked. When they got close enough, she saw a light coming from the car. They were all in there, eating, laughing. It must've been too cold for them so they just decided to stay in there.

The girls didn't even see the two of them approach. Toby knocked on the window to the backseat. Emily jumped from her skin. She let out a screech before turning around to see who it was. She brought her hand to her chest when she saw who it was. It took a while for her heart to calm down before she finally opened the door for them. Aria and Hanna screamed when Emily did but now the two of them were laughing.

"Sorry," Toby quickly apologized.

Emily joined in on the laughter slightly, too. "Just give me a minute, okay?"

Spencer watched them, laughing too. Emily finally moved over, giving the two of them in the back with Emily. Hanna was in the driver's seat, with Aria in the passenger's seat. Emily leaned in for a hug, with Toby being in the middle of the two girls.

Aria rummaged through a bag under her seat and handed the two of them a bag of grapes. She smiled at them apologetically. "Sorry. We already ate everything else."

Spencer opened the bag and pulled out a small grape. Toby did the same, with the other girls eating an assortment of other snacks. He pulled her close to his chest and she leaned in, grateful. She let her eyes droop, even though she wasn't very tired. She just wanted to stay here. Or, maybe somewhere else. The car was uncomfortable and though she loved them, she just wanted to be alone without her friends.

Spencer sat up slightly. "I still don't understand… When did you get here?" she asked him.

He pointed to Hanna. "On his way back, Caleb stopped in Ohio to pick me up. We rode on the plane here together. Hanna picked the both of us up this afternoon."

Spencer didn't know what that would've been like. Caleb, picking up a stranger and flying home with him. And she was surprised Hanna kept everything top-secret.

"Were you in on this?" Spencer looked over at Aria.

Aria grinned, flashing her teeth. "I knew Emily and Hanna were up to something. I threatened to tell you if they didn't make me a part of it."

Spencer laughed. "What was your part in this?"

Aria looked around. "I didn't have a part," she admitted. "Just to make sure Hanna wouldn't spill."

She felt Toby kiss the top of her head. She closed her eyes, completely in bliss.

"She's tired," Emily noted after a few silent moments.

The grip Toby had on Spencer's arms tightened. He wasn't sure if she was asleep or not. He ran his fingers up and down her arm but she didn't respond. He nodded to Hanna. "Let's go. It's dark anyways."

The plan Hanna had hatched up on their way back from the airport would be that Toby and Spencer stay in the motel room he rented for now. Toby would find a more permanent place later. Emily, Aria, and Hanna would go back to the dorm room. Emily would just sleep on Spencer's bed.

The motel wasn't far away. They were there within ten minutes. Toby shook her slightly to wake her. She stirred and looked around. Toby helped her out of the car. The room was just straight ahead so he told Hanna just to go back. He could take her from here.

She seemed to be very much awake when they entered the room. Spencer sighed. "I fell asleep."

Toby grinned. "You were tired."

Spencer went to go sit on the bed, Toby following. "I'm not tired now."

He laughed. She leaned in to press her lips on his. She couldn't even describe how much she had missed him. Their connection now only reminded her. Spencer broke away for a second to throw her shoes off. After doing that, she brought their lips together again.

Toby ran his hands up and down her thigh. She was getting goosebumps from his touch. His mouth moved down to nibble at her neck. Spencer bit down on her lip, pleasure seeping through her entire body. When he brought his lips back, she even surprised herself by flipping him over so she was lying on top of him.

Spencer kissed his nose and played with his fingers. They were just gazing into each other's eyes for a while. Spencer rested her head on his chest, keeping their fingers interlaced. She felt his heart thump over and over again. It was calming her down, causing her to grow more tired. But she didn't want to go to sleep yet.

Toby pulled her off of him and onto her side right next to him. She was still pressed against his chest but he was on his side.

With him coming back, so many more things became clear to her. Things that she wasn't sure of still. Her feelings were definitely more intense than she remembered. The passion she craved for him was still there. She had so much hope.

Toby was thinking the same thing. Spencer's eyes had confirmed all night what he was hoping. She wasn't seeing anyone else. She was surprised earlier in the park. But she was pleasantly surprised. He still wanted her, just as much as she wanted him. He was going to be here for the next six months. Nothing was in the way. If they were to worry, they wouldn't be doing that for a while.

They were brought together for a reason. There was a reason all of this happened. So, they hadn't seen each other in four months. So, _anything_ could've happened during that time. They could've met someone else. Forgotten about each other. But did they? No. And maybe that was why they were rewarded with six more months. If he were to leave again, he could still come back.

There was definitely a reason for the two of them meeting, and Toby knew it.

"I love you, Spencer."

Spencer closed her eyes. "I love you, too."

He leaned forward to press his lips softly against hers. She kissed him back, keeping her eyes closed. When he pulled away, her eyes finally opened. She grinned and bit her lip.

"I love you," she repeated.

Toby smiled along with her. It didn't take long after that for her to fall asleep. She had had a long day. And because she was on Thanksgiving break, they would have the rest of the week together. For now, Toby just wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to save the moment. He reached over to turn off the lamp and fell asleep.

* * *

"Hanna, I need my car."

Spencer heard Hanna sigh on the other end. "I _know_ that. But can't you just wait? _I'm busy_," she whispered.

Spencer rolled her eyes. She must be with Caleb. She didn't know why the two of them were still not ready at one in the afternoon the following day. Spencer and Toby had been stuck here all day. Neither of them had a car. Hanna, Aria, and Emily dropped them off at the motel last night, leaving them with no transportation. Hanna should really understand because today was Thanksgiving. Spencer had plans with her parents.

"How far away could you be? Can't you at least tell Aria or Emily to drop it by?"

"They're both with their parents. I will be there in thirty minutes. Just hang tight."

Annoyed, Spencer clicked off. Another reason she needed her car was because their motel didn't offer food and neither of them even had a bag. They were stuck here with nothing but the clothes they had on. They were starving and needed something to eat.

Spencer plopped down on the bed. Toby was in the shower now. She would just have to entertain herself until then.

She wished they could've just driven here in separate cars and then just leave them hers. This wasn't even fair. She was supposed to be over at her parents now but she had to call and tell them she'll be late. She didn't tell them she was trapped at a motel with somebody she had met in Jamaica, though. But she was going to take Toby with her. She just wasn't sure what all she wanted to tell her parents.

Toby got out of the shower and emerged into the room with nothing but a towel on. Spencer quickly let her eyes slide down his torso. She still couldn't believe how muscular he was.

"Hanna said she'll be over in half an hour." She blew air from her lips. "What do we do now?"

Smirking, he leaned forward to place a kiss on her lips. She kissed back a few times but eventually pushed him back, laughing. "I am _not_ going to let you seduce me while wearing a towel, Toby." She got up from the bed and walked around to him.

He kissed her again, leaving trails of them down her neck. "Toby," she warned.

He brought his head back up to her nose and kissed it softly. "Sorry."

Spencer laughed. He went back into the bathroom to get dressed. Once he came back, fully clothed, he grabbed her hand.

"Let's just wait outside," she suggested.

They didn't have much with them to bring, not that it would matter anyway. Toby would stay here tonight, too. They sat down on the curb, hand in hand.

It took a while for Spencer's eyes to adjust to the sun. It was late November but it wasn't very cold. It was pretty warm out and the breeze felt nice. She rested her head on Toby's shoulder.

"You know," she started. "You don't _have_ to come and meet my parents."

Spencer had just remembered once they woke up that it was even Thanksgiving. After mentally hitting herself for forgetting she had to see her parents, she offered for Toby to come.

Toby squeezed her hand. He didn't really mind meeting her parents. "Do you not want me to?"

Spencer slightly shook her head. "It's just…they might not be too exciting. If you had something else…" She stopped talking. Raising her head, she asked, "Why aren't you with your family today? It's a family holiday, right?" From what she remembered, Toby still got along with his father.

"Well, he's going to be with Jenna and her mom…" Spencer understood; he didn't need to go on. "Plus, I had to either come now with Caleb or not at all."

Spencer thought about that. "So…you'd rather spend Thanksgiving in a town where only four girls know you instead of being with your family?"

Toby looked down at their hands. "I'm not missing much."

Spencer wrapped her arms around his waist. She rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He didn't respond but he did lean his head on hers. Something popped into her head for a conversation to fill the time they had before Hanna arrived. "How come you never called me?"

Toby pulled his head away to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean recently. We just kinda…stopped talking."

"Oh. Well, I really _did_ have to work more. Plus, by the time I would get off it would be seven over here. I wasn't sure if you were eating dinner or anything. I worked weekends, too. But the reason I called Emily so much was probably because we didn't talk as long. And most of what we did talk about was…you. After deciding that Caleb was going to help me come back, I just tried to limit our calls, afraid I would slip."

Spencer saw her car pull in before she could respond. They hopped up, brushed the dirt off their pants, and walked towards them. There was another car following them. It was Hanna's car.

Hanna got out of Spencer's car and tossed her the keys. "That didn't take long, did it?"

Spencer rolled her eyes. "I was supposed to be there an hour ago. It took pretty long to me."

"Okay well now you don't have to wait. A thank you would be nice."

She walked to the driver's seat, Toby going around to the other side. "Thank you," she called over her shoulder.

Hanna went into her car, with Caleb driving. Caleb gave a short wave to Toby before pulling out.

Spencer nodded to the car. "So you and Caleb…?"

Toby shrugged. "We were sitting together in an airplane for hours. We didn't know each other but I was supposed to trust him to take me here. Besides, I spent a fraction of that month with his girlfriend. We talked for a while."

Spencer laughed. "That must've been awkward. When you put it like that."

"Well it was worth it."

Spencer smiled at him as she pulled out of the parking lot. She reached over to grab his hand.

The ride to her parent's house was quiet. It allowed them both to enjoy now. Because they had learned that enjoying the moment was all that mattered.

* * *

A/N I suck at ending chapters. But it is what it is. Also, *officially* this is my last chapter. But I'm doing an epilogue. Then I'll be done with the story! I've got like 3 other storylines I want to do next. At first, I just had one but then these random good ideas just like smacked me in the face recently. (This is just me rambling again, by the way. You don't have to read.) So…..I have a tong of stories I want to write now but I want to take these slow. And I'm definitely NOT going to try and juggle all three at the same time because that is a cry for disaster. I think my brain needs to just SLOW. DOWN. It's just crazy right now. I still have to post the epilogue (hopefully soon) and then decide what I want to do next.

On top of all that, I have to emotionally prepare myself for the finale coming up. Because I'm just not ready for PLL to end again. It seems like the premiere was like 3 weeks ago. IT'S NOT FAIR THEY CAN'T TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME AGAIN. (I can get pretty moody when it comes to PLL). If you follow me on twitter, you'd understand. Right, Ally? ;) But, just so you know, my twitter is a different UN than this one. It's also a PLL account but I am sooo creepy and weird I don't want to make it public. I just got off topic. But, anyway, I don't want the finale to be here already ;(

And I have another distraction from FF. So, if you remember, I started school like a week and a half ago. I don't have as much time anymore so aside from the epilogue, don't expect another story from me within the next week or so. Okay, I'm cutting this A/N off. I hope you enjoyed and please review! Xx


	24. Chapter 24

"Where's Toby?" Emily asked.

Spencer bit her lip. "I don't know."

Aria frowned. "But wasn't he supposed to tell you…"

Spencer nodded. She played with her bracelet, staring off into space. They were all at The Brew six months later. Spencer and her friends were almost done with their first year of college. Toby was meeting them here. He was supposed to tell them whether or not he would be able to keep his job.

What Caleb had done for Toby was give him something like an internship. The only difference was that he was getting paid. It was six months long. After that, his boss was going to decide for him if he gets to keep his job full-time or not. It has been exactly six months today. Spencer was nervous, waiting to hear from him.

Aria noticed Spencer's anxious habits. She rubbed a hand on her shoulder. "Why do you even have doubts? If his boss didn't like him, he wouldn't have kept him so long."

Aria's words didn't calm Spencer down. Truth was, Toby already knew. He found out yesterday. The reason he didn't tell Spencer if he could stay or not was because of the fight they had gotten in. She didn't tell her friends about it, though. She wasn't even sure if he was still angry at her. They hadn't spoken since yesterday morning, when it happened.

* * *

_Spencer and Toby were in his loft Sunday morning. They had spent most of the weekend together. They knew he might be leaving soon but it wasn't as sad as last time. In Jamaica, neither of them were home. It was just a vacation. But now, Spencer was home. And Toby was with her, as he had been for the last six months. She couldn't have been happier._

_Spencer still had that ounce of fear inside of her. She didn't want Toby leaving but he had been talking about it recently. It wasn't much. He would just point out periodically that he would miss something from back home. Or he wanted to visit some time. Just to see his friends and family again._

_Honestly, Spencer wasn't sure Toby would like living here with just her. Back home, he had friends. Family. But he had quickly made some friends here, too. Two of them being Caleb and Ezra. Ezra was older than them but they still all hung out sometimes. Toby also had guys he worked with that he would talk to a lot. He easily fit in in this town. Spencer loved seeing him adapt._

_And as for family, she was sure he missed his dad, but that was probably it. Spencer's parents loved him, to which she was grateful for. Toby and Mr. Hastings bonded frequently, as if Toby were his own son. Spencer couldn't have been more pleased with the way it turned out. And when Spencer _did_ have those tiny bits of doubt, he would get a call from Caleb or mention that he would be spending the day with another friend while she was in school to put her at ease. Toby was happy here. She constantly told herself that he wouldn't want to leave._

"_So do you plan on keeping this loft for a while longer?" she asked him._

_Toby shrugged. "If I even stay."_

_The words hit Spencer harder than they should've. "But, I mean, your boss is _going_ to let you keep your job. You're amazing."_

_Toby smiled and kissed her on the lips. "Thank you. But…it's not a matter of 'if he lets me keep my job'. It's a matter of my decision. Even if he wants me to stay, that doesn't mean I _have_ to."_

_Spencer was confused. "Right… But why wouldn't you stay? You love it here."_

_Toby nodded slowly. "I do. But I also have to think about what's at my home. I still have people there."_

"_Well…can't you just go back for the summer and then start your job here once school starts up again?" She knew she was sounding selfish. But, in her opinion, letting him go for the summer wasn't selfish at all. She could see the reasoning behind it but telling him what he should do wasn't right._

"_What are you thinking?" she asked him. "Do you _want_ to go back? Why haven't you talked to me about it?"_

"_Because, Spencer, this isn't your decision to make."_

_She took a step away from him. "Okay, well, you could've at least _talked_ to me about it first."_

_She was right. He knew that. "I'm sorry. But I still don't know what I want. If I ask you, you'll talk me into staying. I just needed to think for myself."_

_She crossed her arms over her chest. "What have you been thinking?"_

_He sighed. "I…I don't know."_

"_Toby…" he saw the plea in her eyes._

_He wrapped his arms around her. "Spencer, it's okay. It's okay."_

"_Why do you get to leave?"_

"_Hey, I never said I was."_

_Spencer pulled away. "Yes, you were. You thought it, at least."_

"_This isn't going to work. You need to understand that right now I have a big decision to make. We live in two different states. This is hard for me, too."_

"_Toby, if you could've just talked to me first we wouldn't be in this mess. Or what if you had taken time off sometime while you were here to see them? We don't have to make these huge decisions. You don't have to keep moving back and forth. You can live there and visit Rosewood or live here and visit your friends. Why are you making this so complicated?"_

_Toby's patience was slipping away. "Because it _is_ complicated, Spencer. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up."_

_She shook her head. "You should've brought it up a long time ago. Toby, besides your job, aren't you here for me?" She didn't even care how selfish she was sounding right now._

"_I _am_ here for you. I love you. But I just needed to think without anybody else's opinion."_

"_So this whole time when we were out, having fun, with your friends, you were just thinking about leaving? None of that was going to matter in the end?"_

_Toby let out an exasperated sigh. "You make it sound like if I leave, I won't miss anything. There are pros and cons to both sides, here. If I leave, I _will_ miss you. Like crazy. I'll miss your friends. I'll miss my friends. Right now, you're making this harder for me."_

_Did that mean he really was leaving?_

_Spencer tried to talk over the lump in her throat. "Good."_

_With that, she walked out._

* * *

Originally, he was going to talk with her in private. That was what he preferred but because of their fight, she asked her friends to be here. She wasn't going to be ready to be alone with him if he said he was leaving.

Hanna and Emily spotted him making his way over to them. Hanna kicked Spencer, who turned around to face him. He didn't take a seat; he just stood there.

He glanced at her friends. "I didn't know you were coming."

"I asked them to," Spencer cut in.

Toy didn't really want to talk in front of them. He turned to face Spencer. "Spencer…please."

Sighing, she stood up. "Sorry," she mumbled to her friends. Silently, she followed Toby up to his loft. When he closed the door, she turned to face him.

"There was a reason I made them come with me," Spencer said.

Toby ignored her. "Spencer, I'm staying here." After yesterday, he thought it over again. There really wasn't much doubt. He knew what he wanted. There wasn't much for him back home, anyways. Rosewood was a place for him to start somewhere new. With people he loved. He had friends in Ohio. He had girlfriends. But they were nothing compared to the people who were here with him now.

"The fight was stupid," he continued. "I'm sorry. But I am staying here."

He cupped her cheek with his hand. She held onto that arm. He placed a lingering kiss on her lips.

"You're really staying?"

He nodded. "Without a doubt."

This was where he needed to be. This was where he found another opportunity. He loved it here. It didn't hole the memories of his mom or Jenna or Alison. All he had here was Spencer. But that was all he wanted.

* * *

"Were they fighting?" Aria asked.

"Seemed that way to me," Emily remarked.

Hanna stirred her drink with the straw. "Well that can't be good."

"What do you mean?" Aria wondered. "You think he _will_ leave?"

"No. No, I'm just pointing it out. I _know_ he won't leave. He loves Spencer. But if they were fighting, don't you think leaving would've crossed his mind at some point?"

Emily opened her mouth to answer but then decided against it. "He's not leaving," she finally said.

Aria glanced at her watch. "I have class in about twenty minutes."

Hanna looked up to the staircase leading to Toby's door. "Just go. If they're fine, Spencer will get over it. If they're not, Emily and I will be here."

Aria stood up to leave. She pushed open the door when Spencer and Toby came out. Hanna couldn't conceal her grin when she saw their linked hands. "They're _fine_," she muttered to Emily.

Emily just shrugged and tried to hide the fact that they were watching her. Spencer and Toby scooted in together on one side of the booth they were sitting in, Hanna and Emily on the other.

"Where's Aria?" Spencer asked.

Hanna tapped her watch. Spencer looked at her own and saw that she, too, had to go soon. "Oh, God. It's later than I thought."

"No…" Toby had also checked the time. "You have some time."

Spencer gave him a suspicious look. "Have you memorized my schedule?"

Toby averted his eyes away from her. "Well, _no_. I just _happened_ to know what time your class was."

"Which class?" she questioned

"English."

Spencer smirked. "So you know _that_, too?"

Hanna and Emily were watching amusedly. It took Hanna months to get her schedule down and even now she still had to check. She thought it was cute that Toby knew.

"It actually _is_ getting pretty late," Emily muttered. She had to go back to her parent's place and pack. She was here for the day. She had class tomorrow and needed to start getting back.

"I'll drop you by," Toby said.

Spencer _was_ actually nervous of being late, even if she still had forty-five minutes. "Han, we should go, too."

The four of them walked out into the back parking lot where their cars were. Hanna opened the passenger door of Spencer's car and got in. Emily got in Toby's truck.

"Call me later?" Toby asked her.

She brushed hair from her eyes. It was a windy day. "Of course. I don't have any plans tonight…"

Toby smirked. "Well I'm not going anywhere."

Spencer went in to give him a quick hug but it lingered. He scrunched her hair on that back of her head. "Thank you," she breathed.

Toby raised his eyebrows. "For what?"

She offered a small shrug. "For being here."

He grinned and kissed the top of her head. "Always."

* * *

A/N Super short. I know. Basically, it was just fluff. Thank you to everyone who read my story! And I'm just going to say this now so you won't wonder or be confused. I'm not making a sequel. I feel like my brain doesn't have as much creativity for another storyline from the same story. I'm just going to end it here. But all of your reviews, follows, favorites, etc. they all mean so much to me. I'm glad I could share this with amazing people.

I was going to post this earlier but I wanted to have seen the finale before I do. Does anyone have anything to say about it? I. Am. Speechless. (Btw, I totally called it). I'll try not to say much in case any of you haven't watched yet. I had a feeling the new A Team member would be you-know-who. I've suspected him/her from the beginning. But I feel really bad for the other you-know-who. But *kinda spoiler* Spencer went through the same thing with Toby last season.

And this is the part where you guys may start hating me but I just had to get this off somewhere. I'm actually going to be pretty upset if you-know-who (let's call it "Alex" [get it? It could be a boy or girl?]). I'm going to be pretty upset if Alex is good. Like I said before, this is basically the same thing about Toby being the betrayer. I don't want them to just reuse the storyline and say he was protecting the other you-know-who. Because that's a bit boring. I think they should really take this somewhere I want to see Alex's motive. Evil motive.

Anyway, thank you again so so much. I love you! Xx


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